JP2021073870A - Farm crop harvesting system - Google Patents

Abstract

To safely perform harvesting while suppressing damage to main culm and branches in harvesting.SOLUTION: A farm crop harvesting system 50 includes a farm crop harvesting end effector 1, a robot arm 52, a visual device 51, an inclination processing unit 67, and a cutting processing unit 68. The inclination processing unit can implement an inclination process for allowing a passage section 3 to make harvesting objects 91 to become in a state by passing to the outside of a base position Pt by making the end effector to incline along the main culm 92 and branches. The cutting processing unit can operate the end effector for shrinking the passage section and implement a cutting process for cutting peduncles passing through inside the passage section.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 24

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a crop harvesting system for harvesting crops that bear fruit on main stems and branches.

In recent years, in order to realize automation of agricultural work, end effectors for automatically harvesting agricultural products and systems for harvesting agricultural products have been proposed. For example, an end effector having a scissors-shaped blade is provided at the tip of a robot arm, and the fruit stalk is cut by the end effector to separate and harvest the fruit from the main stem or branch. However, in the case of a configuration in which the peduncle is cut using a blade, when the end effector is brought close to the peduncle, the blade part comes into contact with the main stem or branch and damages the main stem or branch, or even cuts. There is a risk of getting stuck. Further, even if the blade portion does not come into direct contact with the main stem or branch, there is a risk that the main stem or branch will be bent and damaged or cut due to an excessive force applied to the main stem or branch. Damage or cutting of the main stems and branches causes various diseases of the plant and, in severe cases, withers, resulting in a subsequent decrease in yield.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2019-37214

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a crop harvesting system capable of safely harvesting by suppressing damage to main stems and branches during harvesting.

The crop harvesting system (50) according to claim 1 is a crop harvesting system in which a fruit stalk (93) is cut from a harvesting object (91) that bears fruit on a main stem (92) or a branch to harvest the harvesting object. It is a crop harvesting system equipped with an end effector (1) for use. The crop harvesting system comprises an end effector (1) for crop harvesting. The crop harvesting end effector is configured to be movable relative to the first member (10, 20A, 41) provided with the cutting blade (2) for cutting the fruit stalk and the first member. The second member (20, 41A) and the moving mechanism (30) for moving the second member relative to the first member are provided, and either the first member or the second member. One or both of them are formed in an annular shape including the cutting blade to form a passing portion (3) through which the harvesting object can be passed, and the moving mechanism is a passing portion of the passing portion. The fruit handle is sandwiched between the second member and the cutting blade by relatively moving the first member and the second member with the fruit handle passed inside to reduce the passing portion. Cut with.

Further, the crop harvesting system includes a robot arm (52), a visual device (51), a harvesting object detection processing unit (61), a position information identification processing unit (62), an approach processing unit (65), and the like. It includes a moving processing unit (66), a tilting processing unit (67), and a cutting processing unit (68). The robot arm is attached with the end effector for harvesting crops. The visual device can acquire visual information including the position information of the harvested object. The harvest target detection processing unit can execute a harvest target detection process for detecting a harvest target included in the visual information acquired by the visual device. The position information specifying processing unit can execute a position specifying process for specifying a position including a tip position (Pb) and a base end position (Pt) of the harvested object detected in the harvested object detection process.

The approach processing unit can drive and control the robot arm to perform approach processing to bring the crop harvesting end effector closer to a start point position set outside the tip position of the harvesting object. The movement processing unit drives and controls the robot arm to move the crop harvesting end effector from the outside of the tip position toward the base end position side, and moves the harvesting object through the passing portion. The process can be executed. The tilting processing unit tilts the end effector for crop harvesting along the main stem or branch so that the passing portion passes the harvesting object to the outside of the base end position. It is possible. Then, the cutting processing unit can execute a cutting processing for cutting the peduncle passed through the inside of the passing portion by operating the crop harvesting end effector to reduce the passing portion.

Here, for example, when trying to cut the peduncle with a scissors-shaped end effector, when moving the scissors-shaped end effector to a position where the main stem or branch can be cut, scissors are used in the direction in which the peduncle or branch grows. It is necessary to bring the shaped end effectors close to each other in the perpendicular direction. Then, when moving the scissors-shaped end effector, the cutting edge portion may come into contact with the main stem or branch and damage the main stem or branch.

On the other hand, according to this configuration, the end effector passes the entire harvesting object from the tip of the harvesting object to the passing portion of the harvesting object that has set on the main stem or the like, that is, the main such as a cherry tomato. The end effector can be moved to a position where the main stem and branches can be cut by scooping the entire tuft from below and passing it through the passage part of the harvested object hanging from the stem. At that time, since the moving member surrounds the cutting blade, it is possible to prevent the main stem from coming into contact with the cutting blade. As a result, it is possible to prevent the main stem and branches from being damaged by the cutting blade, and it is possible to obtain an excellent effect that the harvested object can be safely harvested.

Furthermore, the crop harvesting system of this configuration ends by performing the tilting process to the position where the crop harvesting end effector cuts the fruit stalk, that is, the position between the harvested object and the main stem or branch. When moving the effector, the end effector can be positioned along the inclination of the main stem or branch. As a result, the crop harvesting system can prevent the end effector from exerting an unreasonable force such as pushing up the main stem or branch when the end effector moves to the position where the peduncle is cut. As described above, according to this configuration, when the harvesting object is harvested using the end effector, the end effector applies an unreasonable force to the main stem or branch, and the main stem or branch is bent to be damaged or cut. It is possible to prevent the harvesting from happening, and as a result, the harvesting work can be carried out extremely safely.

An example of the configuration of the end effector for crop harvesting according to the first embodiment is shown, and a plan view showing a state in which the moving member is pulled out. An example of the configuration of the end effector for crop harvesting according to the first embodiment is shown, and is a plan view showing the cover member removed in FIG. A cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the end effector for crop harvesting according to the first embodiment along the X3-X3 line of FIG. An example of the configuration of the end effector for crop harvesting according to the first embodiment is shown from the direction of arrow X4 in FIG. A cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the end effector for crop harvesting according to the first embodiment along the line X5-X5 of FIG. A cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the end effector for crop harvesting according to the first embodiment along the lines X6-X6 of FIG. A cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the end effector for crop harvesting according to the first embodiment along the line X7-X7 of FIG. An enlarged view of the arrow X8 portion of FIG. 3 showing an example of the configuration of the end effector for crop harvesting according to the first embodiment. An enlarged view of the arrow X9 portion of FIG. 3 showing an example of the configuration of the end effector for crop harvesting according to the first embodiment. An example of the configuration of the end effector for crop harvesting according to the first embodiment is shown, and a plan view showing a state in which the moving member is pulled in. An example of the configuration of the end effector for crop harvesting according to the first embodiment is shown, and is a plan view showing the cover member removed in FIG. A cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the end effector for crop harvesting according to the first embodiment along the line X12-X12 of FIG. An enlarged view of the arrow X13 portion of FIG. 12 showing an example of the configuration of the end effector for crop harvesting according to the first embodiment. The figure which shows roughly the structure of the crop harvesting system by 1st Embodiment A block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the control device of the crop harvesting system according to the first embodiment. In the crop harvesting system according to the first embodiment, an example of visual information acquired by a visual device is conceptually shown, and is a view seen from the front side. In the crop harvesting system according to the first embodiment, an example of specifying each position by the position specifying processing unit and generating a moving route by the moving route generation processing unit is conceptually shown, and is a view seen from the front side. A diagram conceptually showing an example of a method for determining a target position Pg in the crop harvesting system according to the first embodiment. In the crop harvesting system according to the first embodiment, the state in which the crop harvesting end effector is inserted below the crop target is shown, (A) is a view seen from the front side, and (B) is a view seen from the upper side. Figure A flowchart showing an example of the control contents of the harvesting operation executed in the crop harvesting system according to the first embodiment. An example of the movement mode and the operation mode of the crop harvesting end effector at each time point when the harvesting operation is executed in the crop harvesting system according to the first embodiment is shown, and the crop harvesting end effector is moved to the starting point position. The figure which shows the state from the front side. An example of the movement mode and the operation mode of the crop harvesting end effector at each time point when the harvesting operation is executed in the crop harvesting system according to the first embodiment is shown, and the crop harvesting end effector is moved to the tip position. The figure which shows the state from the front side. An example of the movement mode and the operation mode of the crop harvesting end effector at each time point when the harvesting operation is executed in the crop harvesting system according to the first embodiment is shown, and the crop harvesting end effector is moved to the target position. The figure which shows the state from the front side. An example of the movement mode and the operation mode of the crop harvesting end effector at each time point when the harvesting operation is executed in the crop harvesting system according to the first embodiment is shown, and the state in which the crop harvesting end effector is tilted at an angle. Is shown from the front side. An example of the movement mode and the operation mode of the crop harvesting end effector at each time point when the harvesting operation is executed in the crop harvesting system according to the first embodiment is shown, and the state in which the crop harvesting end effector is tilted at an angle. Is shown from the side surface side (No. 1). An example of the movement mode and the operation mode of the crop harvesting end effector at each time point when the harvesting operation is executed in the crop harvesting system according to the first embodiment is shown, and the state in which the crop harvesting end effector is tilted at an angle. Is shown from the side surface side (No. 2). An example of the movement mode and the operation mode of the crop harvesting end effector at each time point when the harvesting operation is executed in the crop harvesting system according to the first embodiment is shown, and immediately before the fruit stalk is cut by the crop harvesting end effector. The figure which shows the state of. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing an example of an end effector for crop harvesting at each time point when a harvesting operation is executed in the crop harvesting system according to the first embodiment, in which the arrow X28 portion of FIG. 27 is enlarged. An example of the movement mode and the operation mode of the crop harvesting end effector at each time point when the harvesting operation is executed in the crop harvesting system according to the first embodiment is shown, and the fruit stalk is cut by the crop harvesting end effector. The figure which shows the gripping state from the side surface side. An enlarged view of arrow X30 in FIG. 29 shows an example of an end effector for crop harvesting at each time point when a harvesting operation is executed in the crop harvesting system according to the first embodiment. An example of the movement mode and the operation mode of the crop harvesting end effector at each time point when the harvesting operation is executed in the crop harvesting system according to the first embodiment is shown, and the state in which the inclination of the crop harvesting end effector is restored is shown. View from the front side An example of the movement mode and operation mode of the crop harvesting end effector at each time point when the harvesting operation is executed in the crop harvesting system according to the first embodiment is shown, and the crop harvesting end effector moves toward the collection box. The figure which shows the state at the time of doing from the side An example of the movement mode and the operation mode of the crop harvesting end effector at each time point when the harvesting operation is executed in the crop harvesting system according to the first embodiment is shown, and the state in which the grip of the peduncle is released is shown from the side surface side. Figure shown The figure which shows an example of the data table stored in the storage area about the crop harvesting system by 2nd Embodiment. The figure which conceptually shows an example of the pattern matching process for setting the tilt angle about the crop harvesting system by 3rd Embodiment (the 1). A diagram conceptually showing an example of pattern matching processing for setting an inclination angle for the crop harvesting system according to the third embodiment (Part 2). The figure which conceptually shows an example of the fitting process of a straight line or a curve for setting a tilt angle about the crop harvesting system by 3rd Embodiment. In the crop harvesting system according to the fourth embodiment, a diagram conceptually showing an example of identification of each position by the position identification processing unit and generation of a movement route by the movement route generation processing unit. Block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the control device of the crop harvesting system according to the fourth embodiment. A diagram conceptually showing the relationship between the force detected by the contact detection unit and the rotation axis set in the end effector for crop harvesting in the crop harvesting system according to the fourth embodiment. A flowchart showing an example of the control contents of the harvesting operation executed in the crop harvesting system according to the fourth embodiment. An example of the movement mode and the operation mode of the crop harvesting end effector at each time point when the harvesting operation is executed in the crop harvesting system according to the fourth embodiment is shown, and the crop harvesting end effector is moved to the starting point position. The figure which shows the state from the front side An example of the movement mode and the operation mode of the crop harvesting end effector at each time point when the harvesting operation is executed in the crop harvesting system according to the fourth embodiment is shown, and the rotation axis side contact detection unit is the crop harvesting end effector. The figure which shows the state which detected the contact with An example of the movement mode and the operation mode of the crop harvesting end effector at each time point when the harvesting operation is executed in the crop harvesting system according to the fourth embodiment is shown, and the counter-rotating shaft side contact detection unit is the crop harvesting end. The figure which shows the state which detected the contact with an effector from the front side In the crop harvesting system according to the fifth embodiment, it is an example of visual information acquired by a visual device and shows a state in which the harvested object is located on the lateral side of the main stem, and is a view seen from the front side. In the crop harvesting system according to the fifth embodiment, it is an example of visual information acquired by a visual device and shows a state in which the harvesting object is located on the lateral side of the main stem, and is a view seen from the upper surface side. In the crop harvesting system according to the fifth embodiment, it is an example of visual information acquired by a visual device and shows a state in which the harvesting object is located on the front side of the main stem, and is a view seen from the front side. In the crop harvesting system according to the fifth embodiment, it is an example of visual information acquired by a visual device and shows a state in which the harvested object is located on the front side of the main stem, and is a view seen from the upper surface side. In the crop harvesting system according to the fifth embodiment, it is an example of visual information acquired by a visual device and shows a state in which the harvesting object is located on the back side of the main stem, and is a view seen from the front side. In the crop harvesting system according to the fifth embodiment, it is an example of visual information acquired by a visual device and shows a state in which the harvesting object is located on the back side of the main stem, and is a view seen from the upper surface side. In the crop harvesting system according to the fifth embodiment, a diagram conceptually showing the approach direction in the case shown in FIG. In the crop harvesting system according to the fifth embodiment, a diagram showing an example of the approach direction of the crop harvesting end effector when the harvesting object is located on the lateral side of the main stem. In the crop harvesting system according to the fifth embodiment, a diagram conceptually showing the approach direction in the case shown in FIG. 48. In the crop harvesting system according to the fifth embodiment, a diagram showing an example of the approach direction of the crop harvesting end effector when the harvesting object is located on the front side of the main stem. In the crop harvesting system according to the fifth embodiment, a diagram conceptually showing the approach direction in the case shown in FIG. In the crop harvesting system according to the fifth embodiment, a diagram showing an example of the approach direction of the crop harvesting end effector when the harvesting object is located on the back side of the main stem. In the crop harvesting system according to the fifth embodiment, a diagram conceptually showing the approach direction of the crop harvesting end effector when the offset angle is taken into consideration in the one shown in FIG. 51. In the crop harvesting system according to the fifth embodiment, a diagram conceptually showing the approach direction of the crop harvesting end effector when the offset angle is taken into consideration in the one shown in FIG. 53. In the crop harvesting system according to the fifth embodiment, a diagram conceptually showing the approach direction of the crop harvesting end effector when the offset angle is taken into consideration in the one shown in FIG. 55. In the crop harvesting system according to the sixth embodiment, a diagram showing an example of a method of determining the approach direction of the crop harvesting end effector when the harvesting object is located on the lateral side of the main stem. In the crop harvesting system according to the sixth embodiment, a diagram showing an example of a method of determining the approach direction of the crop harvesting end effector when the harvesting object is located on the front side of the main stem. In the crop harvesting system according to the sixth embodiment, a diagram showing an example of a method of determining the approach direction of the crop harvesting end effector when the harvesting object is located on the back side of the main stem. In the crop harvesting system according to the seventh embodiment, an example of the setting location of the rotation axis set in the crop harvesting end effector is shown, and is a view seen from the upper surface side. In the crop harvesting system according to the seventh embodiment, a diagram showing an example of tilting the crop harvesting end effector in the pitch direction around the pitch rotation axis (No. 1). In the crop harvesting system according to the seventh embodiment, a diagram showing an example of tilting the crop harvesting end effector in the pitch direction around the pitch rotation axis (Part 2). An example of the configuration of the end effector for crop harvesting according to the eighth embodiment is shown, and a plan view showing a state in which the moving member is pulled out. An example of the configuration of the end effector for crop harvesting according to the ninth embodiment is shown, and a plan view showing a state in which the moving member is pulled out. An example of the configuration of the end effector for crop harvesting according to the tenth embodiment is shown with the cover member removed, and is a plan view showing a state in which the gripping member is advancing. An example of the configuration of the end effector for crop harvesting according to the tenth embodiment is shown in a state where the cover member is removed, and is a plan view showing a state in which the gripping member is retracted.

Hereinafter, a plurality of embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In each embodiment, substantially the same configuration is designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

(First Embodiment)
Hereinafter, the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 33.
<Structure of end effector for crop harvesting>
First, the configuration of the end effector 1 for crop harvesting will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. 1 to 13. The end effector 1 for harvesting agricultural products of the present embodiment (hereinafter referred to as end effector 1) includes fruit vegetables such as tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and eggplants that grow in a state of hanging from the main stem, and apples, pears and grapes. As described above, fruit trees that grow in a state of hanging from a tree branch can be used for harvesting as a harvest target.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the end effector 1 is configured to have a long shape in one direction as a whole, and includes a cutting blade 2, a base member 10, a moving member 20, a moving mechanism 30, and a gripping mechanism 40. I have. In the case of this embodiment, the cutting blade 2 is provided on the base member 10. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the base member 10 functions as a first member provided with a cutting blade 2 for cutting the peduncle. Further, the moving member 20 is configured to be movable with respect to the base member 10 along the longitudinal direction of the end effector 1. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the moving member 20 functions as a first member, that is, a second member configured to be movable relative to the base member 10.

In the following description, of the longitudinal direction of the end effector 1, that is, the moving direction of the moving member 20, the direction in which the moving member 20 is separated from the base member 10 is defined as the front side of the end effector 1 or the forward direction of the moving member 20, and the opposite direction. That is, the direction in which the moving member 20 approaches the base member 10 is the rear side of the end effector 1 or the retracting direction of the moving member 20. Further, the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the end effector 1 in FIG. 1 is defined as the width direction of the end effector 1. Then, the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the width direction of the end effector 1 in FIG. 3 is defined as the thickness direction of the end effector 1.

The base member 10 has a configuration that serves as a base for the moving member 20, the moving mechanism 30, and the gripping mechanism 40, and includes the holding members 11 and 12, the cover member 13, the connecting member 14, and the mounting member 15. .. The holding members 11 and 12 are arranged apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the end effector 1. In the case of the present embodiment, the holding member 11 provided on the front side has a so-called T-shaped cross section as shown in FIG. The holding member 11 on the front side has a sliding groove 111 and a spring support portion 112. A plurality of, for example, three sliding grooves 111 are provided, and are formed in a groove shape that is dug from the cover member 13 side and extends in the front-rear direction. The spring support portion 112 has a function of supporting one end of the elastic member 42, which will be described later. In the case of the present embodiment, the spring support portion 112 is formed in a cylindrical shape that protrudes forward from the front surface of the holding member 11 on the front side, for example. Further, the holding member 12 provided on the rear side is formed in a rectangular block shape as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the cover member 13 is formed in a plate shape as a whole, and is provided on one side of the end effector 1 in the thickness direction with respect to the holding members 11 and 12, and is an end effector. It covers at least a part or the whole of one side in the thickness direction of 1. The cover member 13 is fixed to the holding members 11 and 12 by, for example, a fastening member such as a bolt (not shown). As a result, the cover member 13 connects the holding member 11 on the front side and the holding member 12 on the rear side. The rear side of the cover member 13 is formed in a rectangular plate shape that is long in the front-rear direction of the end effector 1, and the front side of the cover member 13 is formed in a trapezoidal shape that widens toward the front.

As shown in FIG. 1, the cover member 13 has a recessed portion 131 and a guide portion 132. The recessed portion 131 is formed by recessing the front edge portion of the cover member 13 in a rectangular shape toward the rear. In the case of the present embodiment, the recessed portion 131 extends in the width direction across the central portion of the cover member 13, that is, the central portion in the width direction of the end effector 1, and is more than half of the width direction at the front end portion of the cover member 13. In this case, it is provided almost entirely. As shown in FIG. 1 and the like, the guide portion 132 is provided on both sides in the width direction at the front end portion of the cover member 13, that is, on both ends sides of the recessed portion 131. The guide portion 132 is inclined so as to expand in the width direction of the cover member 13 from the rear side to the front side of the end effector 1.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, for example, the connecting member 14 is formed in the shape of a rectangular plate that is long in the front-rear direction as a whole, and the other side of the end effector 1 in the thickness direction with respect to the holding members 11 and 12, that is, It is provided on the side opposite to the cover member 13 and covers at least a part or the whole of the end effector 1 on the other side in the thickness direction. The connecting member 14 is fixed to the holding members 11 and 12 by a fastening member such as a bolt (not shown). That is, the connecting member 14 connects the holding member 11 on the front side and the holding member 12 on the rear side.

The mounting member 15 is for mounting the end effector 1 on the robot arm 52, which will be described later. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the mounting member 15 is formed in a bent shape of, for example, a plate-shaped member, and is fixed to the connecting member 14 by a fastening member such as a bolt (not shown). The mounting member 15 extends from the connecting member 14 to one side in the width direction of the end effector 1. The mounting member 15 has a plurality of through holes 151 for passing a fastening member such as a bolt. The end effector 1 is attached to the robot arm 52 by passing a fastening member such as a bolt through the through hole 151 of the attachment member 15 and screwing it into the bolt hole of the robot arm 52.

The base member 10 detachably fixes the cutting blade 2 for cutting the peduncle. That is, the cutting blade 2 is detachably fixed to the base member 10. In the case of the present embodiment, the cutting blade 2 is formed in a plate shape, for example, and is attached to the base member 10 with the blade edge facing forward. As shown in FIG. 5 and the like, the cutting blade 2 is sandwiched between the holding member 11 on the front side and the cover member 13. Then, by passing the bolt 16 through the cover member 13 and screwing it into the holding member 11, the cutting blade 2 is fixed in a state of being sandwiched between the holding member 11 on the front side and the cover member 13.

As shown in FIG. 1 and the like, the cutting edge of the cutting blade 2 is housed in the recessed portion 131. That is, the cutting edge of the cutting blade 2 does not protrude forward from the front end portion of the recessed portion 131. In other words, the cutting blade 2 and the guide portion 132 do not overlap in either the longitudinal direction or the width direction of the end effector 1.

The moving member 20 is provided between the cover member 13 and the connecting member 14, and on the side opposite to the cover member 13, that is, on the connecting member 14 side with respect to the cutting blade 2. The moving member 20 has an annular member 21 and a rotating member 22. The annular member 21 is a main configuration of the moving member 20, and is formed in an annular shape as a whole, for example, made of a rigid metal or resin. In this case, the cutting blade 2 is arranged inside the annular member 21. That is, the periphery of the cutting blade 2 is surrounded by the annular member 21. Further, the annular member 21 is formed as a whole in a polygonal shape, for example, a hexagonal shape, which is long in the front-rear direction of the end effector 1. In this case, the annular member 21 integrally has a frame portion 211, a mounting portion 212, a receiving portion 213, a locking portion 214, and a moving member side protruding portion 215.

The frame portion 211 has a so-called U-shape or a U-shape depending on a side extending in the width direction provided on the front side of the annular member 21 and two sides extending in the front-rear direction provided on both sides of the front side in the width direction. It is a part constructed in a shape. In the annular member 21, the frame portion 211 portion is formed thinner than the other portions. In this case, the thickness dimension of the frame portion 211 is set to about several mm, for example, about 3 to 5 mm. The mounting portion 212 is a side portion on the rear side of the annular member 21, and is configured to be thicker, that is, wider than the frame portion 211. The mounting portion 212 is mounted on the moving mechanism 30 by, for example, a fastening member such as a bolt (not shown).

The receiving portion 213 is formed by denting a portion of the frame portion 211 facing the cutting blade 2, in this case, a side portion provided on the front side of the annular member 21 extending in the width direction in a rectangular shape toward the front. There is. The length of the receiving portion 213 in the width direction of the end effector 1 is set to be about the same as that of the cutting blade 2. The locking portions 214 are provided on both ends in the longitudinal direction of the receiving portion 213, that is, on both ends in the width direction of the end effector 1. In this case, the receiving portion 213 is recessed toward the front side of the end effector 1 with respect to the locking portion 214.

The moving member side protruding portion 215 is provided on the receiving portion 213. As shown in FIG. 8, the moving member side projecting portion 215 is a projecting portion formed so as to project from the receiving portion 213 toward the rear side. In this case, the moving member side protruding portion 215 is provided over the entire length direction of the receiving portion 213, that is, substantially the entire width direction of the end effector 1. The moving member side protruding portion 215 can be formed with an acute angle in cross section as shown in FIG. 8, for example, but does not cut the peduncle. That is, the moving member-side protruding portion 215 is formed at an acute angle to the extent that the moving member-side protruding portion 215 does not cut the peduncle when pressed against the peduncle, but bites into the peduncle. The moving member side protrusion 215 may be formed, for example, in a large number of pyramid shapes, a cylindrical shape, or a hemispherical shape.

The rotating member 22 is, for example, a roller formed in an elongated cylindrical shape, and is provided on a frame portion 211 portion of the annular member 21 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 7. In the case of the present embodiment, the rotating member 22 is provided in a portion of the frame portion 211 that extends in the front-rear direction. That is, the rotating member 22 is provided in the portion of the frame portion 211 where the receiving portion 213, the locking portion 214, and the moving member side protruding portion 215 are not provided. In other words, the rotating member 22 is provided in a portion of the frame portion 211 excluding the portion facing the cutting blade 2.

A frame portion 211 is passed through the rotating member 22, and the rotating member 22 is configured to be rotatable by receiving an external force. The rotating member 22 may be made of metal or resin and has rigidity, or may have a flexible surface. Further, the rotating member 22 may be composed of one long member on each side or a large number of short members. Further, if the rotating member 22 is made of a member that is rounded and has little friction, it is not always necessary to make the rotating member 22 rotatable with respect to the frame portion 211. In this case, the rotating member 22 may be omitted, and the frame portion 211 itself may be made of a member that is rounded and has less friction.

The moving mechanism 30 has a function of relatively moving the moving member 20 as the second member with respect to the base member 10 as the first member. In the case of this embodiment, the moving mechanism 30 is composed of, for example, a ball screw mechanism. In this case, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the moving mechanism 30 includes a motor 31, a bearing 32, a screw shaft 33, a nut member 34, a transmission member 35, a guide shaft 36, and a linear bush 37. ..

The motor 31 serves as a driving force for the moving mechanism 30, that is, a driving source for moving the moving member 20, and is composed of, for example, a servomotor. The bearing 32, the screw shaft 33, the nut member 34, the transmission member 35, the guide shaft 36, and the linear bush 37 move the rotational force of the motor 31 which is the drive source in the linear direction along the longitudinal direction of the end effector 1. It is a configuration for converting and transmitting to the moving member 20.

The motor 31 is attached to the outside of the holding member 12 on the rear side, for example, and is connected to one end of the screw shaft 33 to rotate the screw shaft 33. The bearing 32 is for rotatably supporting the screw shaft 33, and is provided on the front and rear holding members 11 and 12. That is, the screw shaft 33 is arranged so that its axial direction is along the longitudinal direction of the end effector 1.

The screw shaft 33 is a shaft on which a screw is formed over the entire length, and is rotatably supported by bearings 32 provided on the front and rear holding members 11 and 12, so as to connect the front and rear holding members 11 and 12. It is provided. The nut member 34 has a function of converting the rotation transmitted from the motor 31 via the screw shaft 33 into a linear movement along the axial direction of the screw shaft 33.

The nut member 34 is composed of, for example, a ball nut having a large number of balls that can rotate inside, and is attached to the transmission member 35. The transmission member 35 is configured in a block shape, for example, and a moving member 20 is attached to the transmission member 35. In the case of the present embodiment, of the moving members 20, the mounting portion 212 of the annular member 21 is fixed to the transmission member 35 by a fastening member such as a bolt (not shown). That is, the nut member 34 is connected to the moving member 20 via the transmission member 35. As a result, the moving member 20 can move integrally with the transmission member 35.

The guide shaft 36 and the linear bush 37 have a function of restricting the rotation of the nut member 34 by the rotation of the screw shaft 33, thereby moving the nut member 34 linearly along the axial direction of the screw shaft 33. The guide shaft 36 is provided so as to connect the front and rear holding members 11 and 12. In this case, two guide shafts 36 are provided on both sides of the end effector 1 in the width direction with respect to the screw shaft 33. Further, two linear bushes 37 are provided on both sides of the nut member 34 in the transmission member 35, and the guide shaft 36 is passed through each of the linear bushes 37.

With such a configuration, when the motor 31 rotates, its rotational force is converted into a linear movement along the axial direction of the screw shaft 33 via the screw shaft 33, the nut member 34, and the transmission member 35. It is transmitted to the moving member 20. As a result, the rotation of the motor 31 causes the moving member 20 to move linearly along the axial direction of the screw shaft 33, that is, the longitudinal direction of the end effector 1. The moving mechanism 30 may be configured by a rack and pinion mechanism instead of the so-called ball nut mechanism including the screw shaft 33 and the nut member 34. Further, for example, the moving mechanism 30 can be configured by an air-driven or electric direct-acting cylinder.

Further, the moving mechanism 30 may have stoppers 381 and 382 as shown in FIG. 3 and the like. The stoppers 381 and 382 are, for example, so-called stopper bolts and the like, and are provided on the front and rear holding members 11 and 12. The stoppers 381 and 382 have a function of hitting the transmission member 35 to stop the movement of the transmission member 35. That is, the front end stopper 381 defines the moving end of the transmission member 35 in the front-rear direction. In this case, of the two stoppers 381 and 382 that define the moving end of the transmission member 35 in the front-rear direction, at least the rear end stopper 382 that defines the rear end position can arbitrarily adjust the amount of protrusion from the holding member 12. Is desirable. Thereby, the moving end on the rear side of the transmission member 35 can be arbitrarily adjusted.

The gripping mechanism 40 has a function of gripping the peduncle between the moving member 20 and the moving member 20 when the moving member 20 moves to cut the peduncle of the harvested object. As a result, it is possible to prevent the harvested object from which the peduncle has been cut from falling. In the case of the present embodiment, the gripping mechanism 40 has a gripping member 41 and an elastic member 42, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 and the like.

The gripping member 41 is slidably attached to the holding member 11 on the front side, and is provided between the holding member 11 on the front side and the receiving portion 213 of the annular member 21. Further, the gripping member 41 is provided between the cover member 13 and the cutting blade 2 and the holding member 11 on the front side when viewed in the thickness direction of the end effector 1. When viewed in the thickness direction of the end effector 1, the gripping member 41 overlaps at least a part or all of the moving member 20 in the thickness direction.

The grip member 41 has a grip portion 411, a sliding portion 412, a spring support portion 413, and a grip member side protrusion 414. The grip portion 411 is provided at a position of the moving member 20 facing the receiving portion 213 of the annular member 21. In this case, the grip portion 411 extends in parallel with the cutting blade 2 and the receiving portion 213, that is, is formed in a plate shape long in the width direction of the end effector 1. Further, in this case, as shown in FIG. 1, the frame portion 211 of the annular member 21 of the moving member 20 and the grip portion 411 of the gripping member 41 are formed in an annular shape including the cutting blade 2 and are inside the frame portion 211. A passage portion 3 through which the harvested object can be passed is formed. In the case of the present embodiment, the passing portion 3 is formed in a rectangular shape that is long in the front-rear direction of the end effector 1. In this case, the longitudinal direction of the end effector 1 is the longitudinal direction or the front-rear direction of the passing portion 3. Further, the width direction of the end effector 1 is defined as the width direction of the passing portion 3.

The sliding portion 412 is configured in a plate shape extending in a direction perpendicular to the grip portion 411 and toward the holding member 11 side on the front side. As shown in FIG. 5, the sliding portion 412 is slidably arranged in the sliding groove 111 of the holding member 11 on the front side. As a result, the gripping member 41 slides along the longitudinal direction of the end effector 1, that is, along the moving direction of the moving member 20, while keeping the gripping portion 411 parallel to the receiving portion 213. Can be done.

The spring support portion 413 has a function of supporting both ends of the elastic member 42 on the opposite side of the holding member 11 on the front side. The spring support portion 413 is provided at a position facing the spring support portion 112 of the holding member 11 on the front side. In this case, the spring support portion 413 is formed in a cylindrical shape, for example, protruding toward the holding member 11 on the front side.

As shown in FIG. 9, the grip member side protrusion 414 is provided on the grip portion 411 of the grip member 41. As shown in FIG. 9, the moving member side projecting portion 215 is a projecting portion formed so as to project from the grip portion 411 toward the front side. In this case, the grip member side protrusion 414 is provided over the entire longitudinal direction of the grip portion 411, that is, substantially the entire width direction of the end effector 1. The gripping member-side protruding portion 414 can be formed with an acute-angled cross section like the moving member-side protruding portion 215, but does not cut the peduncle. That is, the gripping member-side projecting portion 414 is also formed at an acute angle to the extent that it does not cut the peduncle when pressed against the peduncle, but bites into the peduncle, like the moving member-side projecting portion 215. The gripping member-side protruding portion 414 may also be configured, for example, in a large number of pyramid-shaped, cylindrical-shaped, or hemispherical shapes, like the moving member-side protruding portion 215.

The elastic member 42 is composed of, for example, a coil spring. Both ends of the elastic member 42 are supported by the spring support portion 112 of the holding member 11 on the front side and the spring support portion 413 of the gripping member 41, respectively. The elastic member 42 exerts an elastic force on the gripping member 41 from the holding member 11 on the front side toward the front, that is, toward the receiving portion 213 side of the moving member 20. As a result, the gripping member 41 including the gripping portion 411 is configured to be elastically movable with respect to the gripping member 41.

As shown in FIG. 9, the gripping member 41 including the gripping portion 411 does not receive a force on the gripping portion 411 on the side opposite to the receiving portion 213, that is, does not receive an external force. It projects toward the center of the passing portion 3 from the cutting blade 2 and covers one surface of the cutting blade 2, in this case, the surface opposite to the cover member 13. Further, when the gripping member 41 including the gripping portion 411 receives a force in the direction opposite to the center of the passing portion 3, that is, when the gripping member 41 receives a force for pushing the gripping member 41 toward the holding member 11 on the front side, the gripping member 41 receives a force. As shown in FIG. 13, the cutting blade 2 moves in the direction opposite to the center of the passing portion 3 from the cutting edge. As a result, the cutting blade 2 is exposed to the extent that the peduncle can be cut by the cutting blade 2.

Further, in the case of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, the locking portions 214 of the annular member 21 in the moving member 20 are both ends in the longitudinal direction of the grip portion 411 when the moving member 20 moves toward the base member 10. It is configured so that it can be locked to the part. As a result, further approach of the moving member 20 to the gripping member 41 is restricted, and the receiving portion 213 and the moving member side protruding portion 215, and the gripping portion 411 and the gripping member side protruding portion 414 are separated from each other by a predetermined distance L1. Is maintained at.

That is, in the receiving portion 213 and the moving member side protruding portion 215, and the gripping portion 411 and the gripping member side protruding portion 414, the moving member 20 moves relative to the base member 10 and the inner diameter of the passing portion 3 is the minimum. When reduced to, they are separated from each other while maintaining a predetermined distance L1. As a result, when the end effector 1 grips the peduncle, the receiving portion 213 and the moving member side protruding portion 215 do not come into contact with the gripping portion 411 and the gripping member side protruding portion 414, so that the peduncle is crushed or cut. It is possible to prevent the harvested object from being dropped.

It is desirable that the predetermined distance L1 is set to a value larger than 0 and slightly smaller than, for example, the average value of the outer diameters of the peduncles. As a result, the end effector 1 can more reliably grip the peduncle of the harvested object by causing the moving member-side protruding portion 215 and the gripping member-side protruding portion 414 to bite into the peduncle.

Further, in a state where the moving member 20 is located at the moving end moved toward the base member 10, a gap of a predetermined distance L2 is formed between the cutting blade 2 and the receiving portion 213 of the annular member 21. .. The predetermined distance L2 is set to a value of 0 mm or more, and is set small so that a human finger does not enter between the cutting blade 2 and the receiving portion 213 or does not easily enter. As a result, even when the moving member 20 moves to the base member 10 side and the state in which the gripping member 41 covers the cutting blade 2 is released, the cutting blade 2 cuts the fingers of the operator or the like. This can be suppressed, and as a result, safety can be improved.

In this configuration, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 10, the end effector 1 drives the moving mechanism 30 to move the moving member 20 so as to be pulled toward the base member 10 side, that is, behind the end effector 1. The passing portion 3 can be reduced and finally disappeared. At this time, if the peduncle 93 of the harvested object is present inside the passing portion 3, the peduncle 93 is sandwiched between the receiving portion 213 of the moving member 20 and the cutting blade 2 and cut, and the cut fruit is cut. The handle 93 can be gripped by being sandwiched between the grip portion 411 and the grip member side protrusion 414 of the grip member 41 and the receiving portion 213 and the moving member side protrusion 215 of the annular member 21.

Further, the end effector 1 can expand the passing portion 3 by driving the moving mechanism 30 and advancing the moving member 20 so as to push the moving member 20 to the opposite side of the base member 10, that is, to the front of the end effector 1. As a result, the peduncle 93 sandwiched and held between the grip portion 411 and the grip member side protrusion 414 of the grip member 41, the receiving portion 213 of the annular member 21, and the moving member side protrusion 215 can be released.

<Crop harvesting system>
Next, an example of the crop harvesting system using the end effector 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 to 31. The crop harvesting system 50 shown in FIG. 14 is an example in which cherry tomatoes are set as the crop of the harvesting object 91. In the present embodiment, the entire bunch composed of a plurality of fruits is used as the harvesting object 91. The crop harvesting system 50 of the present embodiment can harvest a plurality of cherry tomatoes together with a bunch.

The harvested object 91, such as a cherry tomato, bears fruit in a state of hanging from the main stem 92 via the peduncle 93. Mini tomatoes for commercial use are often grown in greenhouses. In this case, the tip of the main stem 92 is suspended from a rail arranged near the ceiling of the vinyl house. As a result, the main stem 92 extends so as to incline diagonally upward from the ground toward the vicinity of the ceiling.

The harvested object of the crop harvesting system 50 of the present embodiment is not limited to cherry tomatoes as long as the fruit hangs from the main stem or the fruiting mother branch. In addition, the harvested object does not necessarily have to hang vertically downward from the main stem or the fruiting mother branch. Further, the harvested object may be one that grows upward from the main stem or the fruiting mother branch. In the present embodiment, the main stem and the branch are both intended to be protected from damage caused by harvesting work, and are technically treated as synonymous.

The crop harvesting system 50 of the present embodiment further includes a visual device 51, a robot arm 52, a transport device 53, and a collection box 54 in addition to the end effector 1. The visual device 51 is a device capable of acquiring visual information including the position information of the harvesting object 91. The visual device 51 is a device capable of measuring a three-dimensional space and an object such as a stereo camera, a ToF (Time of Flight) camera, and a structured light scanner.

In the case of the present embodiment, the visual information acquired by the visual device 51 includes color information as well as position information and external shape information of the harvesting object 91. Further, the visual information acquired by the visual device 51 includes the position information, the outer shape information, and the color information of the main stem 92, but includes the position information, the outer shape information, and the color information of the fruit handle 93. It does not have to include. That is, in the case of the present embodiment, the visual device 51 acquires the position information, the outer shape information, and the color information of the harvesting object 91 and the main stem 92, but the position information, the outer shape information, and the outer shape information of the peduncle 93. It is not always necessary to acquire color information.

In the case of the present embodiment, the visual device 51 is attached to the base member 10 of the end effector 1, in this case, the cover member 13 via a stay 17 for attachment as shown in FIG. 3 and the like. That is, in the case of the present embodiment, the end effector 1 is configured to include the visual device 51. In this case, the visual device 51 also moves with the movement of the end effector 1. The visual device 51 does not necessarily have to be attached to the end effector 1. The visual device 51 may be attached to, for example, the robot arm 52 or the transport device 53. Further, the visual device 51 may be attached to, for example, a structure of a vinyl house (not shown) to maintain a fixed position at all times.

The robot arm 52 is, for example, a 6-axis vertical articulated robot having a plurality of drive axes, in this case six drive axes. The end effector 1 is attached to the hand of the robot arm 52 via the attachment member 15. The robot arm 52 can move the end effector 1 to an arbitrary position and rotate it to an arbitrary posture.

The transport device 53 is configured to transport the robot arm 52 to which the end effector 1 is attached and the collection box 54 to the harvest target 91. The transport device 53 has, for example, a motor (not shown) for driving the tire 532, and can be moved to an arbitrary position by external control or the like. The collection box 54 is a box for storing and collecting the harvested object 91 harvested by cutting the peduncle 93 with the end effector 1. The collection box 54 is formed, for example, in the shape of a container on the upper side or an opening, and is installed in the transport device 53. If the equipment such as a vinyl house is equipped with a device for transporting the harvested object 91 such as a belt conveyor, the number of collection boxes 54 can be reduced.

Further, the crop harvesting system 50 includes an end effector control unit 4, a visual device control unit 511, a robot arm control unit 521, and a transportation device control unit 531. The end effector control unit 4, the visual device control unit 511, the robot arm control unit 521, and the transport device control unit 531 are mainly attached to the moving mechanism 30, the visual device 51, the robot arm 52, and the transport device 53 of the end effector 1, respectively. Ancillary, for example, a dedicated device, which is provided, for example, in a transport device 53.

The end effector control unit 4, the visual device control unit 511, the robot arm control unit 521, and the transport device control unit 531 each have a storage area such as a CPU (not shown), a ROM, a RAM, and a rewritable flash memory, respectively. The computer and the end effector 1 are mainly composed of a moving mechanism 30, a visual device 51, a robot arm 52, a power circuit for supplying power as a driving force to the transport device 53, and the like. The moving mechanism 30, the visual device 51, the robot arm 52, and the transport device 53 of the end effector 1 are commanded by the end effector control unit 4, the visual device control unit 511, the robot arm control unit 521, and the transport device control unit 531, respectively. The drive is controlled based on.

The control device 60 is provided with the end effector 1, the visual device 51, the robot arm 52, and the transport device 53, respectively, via the end effector control unit 4, the visual device control unit 511, the robot arm control unit 521, and the transport device control unit 531. Is for controlling. The control device 60 is communicably connected to each of the end effector control unit 4, the visual device control unit 511, the robot arm control unit 521, and the transport device control unit 531 by wire or wirelessly. In this case, the control device 60 controls the end effector control unit 4, the visual device control unit 511, the robot arm control unit 521, and the transport device via, for example, a LAN, WAN, or a telecommunication line 80 such as the Internet or a mobile phone line. It may be connected to the unit 531.

As shown in FIG. 15, the control device 60 is mainly composed of a microcomputer having a storage area 602 such as a CPU 601 and a ROM, a RAM, and a rewritable flash memory. The control device 60 issues a drive command to the end effector 1, the visual device 51, the robot arm 52, and the transport device 53, and receives feedback from the end effector 1, the visual device 51, the robot arm 52, and the transport device 53. .. The control device 60 is a general-purpose control device that is not attached to any of the end effector 1, the visual device 51, the robot arm 52, and the transport device 53. That is, the control device 60 is a higher-level device that issues commands to the end effector control unit 4, the visual device control unit 511, the robot arm control unit 521, and the transport device control unit 531. The control device 60 can be configured by, for example, a personal computer, a server, or the like.

The storage area 602 stores a program for the crop harvesting system. The control device 60 executes a program for the crop harvesting system in the CPU 601 to execute the harvest target detection processing unit 61, the position information identification processing unit 62, the tilt angle setting processing unit 63, the movement route generation processing unit 64, and the approach processing. The unit 65, the moving processing unit 66, the tilting processing unit 67, the cutting processing unit 68, the load detection processing unit 69, the overload recovery processing unit 70, the recovery processing unit 71, and the like are virtually realized by software. The harvested object detection processing unit 61, the position information identification processing unit 62, the tilt angle setting processing unit 63, the movement route generation processing unit 64, the approach processing unit 65, the movement processing unit 66, the tilt processing unit 67, and the cutting processing unit. 68, the load detection processing unit 69, the overload recovery processing unit 70, and the recovery processing unit 71 may be realized in hardware as, for example, an integrated circuit integrated with the control device 60.

The harvest target detection processing unit 61 can execute the harvest target detection processing. The harvesting object detection process includes a process of detecting whether or not the harvesting object 91 exists in the field of view of the visual device 51 from the visual information acquired by the visual device 51. In this case, the visual information acquired by the visual device 51 is composed of point cloud data called a point cloud, as shown in FIG. This visual information is composed of, for example, a group of points arranged on the XYZ Cartesian coordinate system, and includes RGB (R: Red, G: Green, B: Blue) color information for each point. It includes depth information (D: Depth) based on the visual device 51, that is, position information in the XYZ Cartesian coordinate system. In the case of the example of FIG. 16, red color was detected for the cherry tomato 91, which is the harvest target, and green color was detected for the main stem 92. The visual device 51 may acquire a monochrome value as visual information by, for example, an infrared camera.

The harvesting object detection processing unit 61 can recognize the outer shape of the harvesting object 91 and the main stem 92 by recognizing the outer shape of the point cloud. In this case, the peduncle 93 is thinner than the harvest target 91 and the main stem 92. Therefore, when the visual device 51 tries to acquire the visual information of the fruit pattern 93, it is necessary to improve the performance and resolution of the visual device 51, which increases the hardware cost. Further, the processing load of the visual device 51 and the processing load of the control device 60 using the acquired visual information also increase. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the visual device 51 is configured so as not to positively acquire the visual information of the peduncle 93. As a result, the processing load of the visual device 51 and the control device 60 can be reduced.

First, the harvesting object detection processing unit 61 extracts point group data having a high color value of the harvesting object 91 from the visual information acquired by the visual device 51. In the case of the present embodiment, the harvesting object detection processing unit 61 extracts point cloud data having a high red value, which is the color of the cherry tomato 91. Then, for example, when the acquired visual information includes a point group having a high red value in a predetermined range or more, the harvested object detection processing unit 61 includes the harvested object 91 in the acquired visual information. That is, it is determined that the mini tomato 91, which is the object to be harvested, exists in the field of view of the visual device 51.

On the other hand, when the point group having a high red value existing in the acquired visual information is less than a predetermined range, the harvested object detection processing unit 61 does not include the harvested object 91 in the acquired visual information. That is, it is determined that the mini tomato 91, which is the object to be harvested, does not exist in the field of view of the visual device 51. In this way, the harvest target detection processing unit 61 recognizes the point cloud having a high red value in the acquired visual information as the mini tomato 91 which is the harvest target. The harvest target detection processing unit 61 uses the information of the point cloud arranged on the XYZ Cartesian coordinate system included in the visual information, that is, the three-dimensional point cloud information, and the monochrome value by the infrared camera to obtain the harvest target. It may be configured to recognize the object 91 and the main stem 92.

The position information specifying processing unit 62 can execute the position specifying process. In the position identification process, as shown in FIG. 17, the tip position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) and the base end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) of the harvesting object 91 are obtained from the visual information acquired by the visual device 51. The process of identifying the position of the harvesting object 91 to be included is included. In the present embodiment, the tip position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) means the position on the tip side of the entire harvest target 91 with reference to the main stem 92, and is the farthest from the main stem 92 in the entire harvest target 91. It is the end. Further, the base end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) means the position on the base end side of the entire harvesting object 91 with reference to the main stem 92, and the end closest to the main stem 92 in the entire harvesting object 91. It is a department.

In this case, the outside of the tip position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) is the outside of the entire harvesting object 91 with respect to the tip position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb), that is, the tip position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb). ) Means the direction away from the main stem 92. Further, the outer side of the base end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) is the outer side of the entire harvesting object 91 with respect to the base end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt), that is, the base end position Pt (Xt, Yt). , Zt) means the direction closer to the main stem 92.

The harvested object 91, such as a cherry tomato, hangs from the main stem 92. Therefore, in this case, the tip position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) is the lower end position of the harvesting object 91, and the base end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) is the upper end position of the harvesting object 91. In the following, the tip position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) of the harvesting object 91 is set as the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb), and the base end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) is set as the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt). , Zt). In this case, the outer side of the tip position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) is below the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb), and the outer side of the base end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) is the upper end position. It is above Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt).

The position information specifying processing unit 62 extracts and harvests the point having the smallest Z value from the point cloud data of the harvesting object 91 detected by the harvesting object detection processing unit 61, that is, the point cloud data having a high red value. The lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) of the object 91 is specified, and the point where the Z value is maximum is extracted to specify the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) of the harvest object 91.

Here, the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) and the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt,) are used only for the data of the lowest point where the Z value is actually the minimum and the highest point where the Z value is the maximum. When Zt) is specified, when noise or the like is mixed in the visual information acquired by the visual device 51, the coordinates of the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) and the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) are blurred. It is easy to occur. Therefore, in the case of the present embodiment, the position information specifying processing unit 62 has the smallest Z value among the point cloud data of the harvesting object 91 detected by the harvesting object detection processing unit 61, that is, the point cloud data having a high red value. The average value of the point cloud data within a predetermined range in the positive direction from the lowest point and the Z value within a range of, for example, 20 mm upward is calculated, and the average value is used as the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb).

Similarly, the position information specifying processing unit 62 has the maximum point cloud data having the maximum Z value among the point cloud data of the harvesting object 91 detected by the harvesting object detection processing unit 61, that is, the point cloud data having a high red value. The average value of the point cloud data within a predetermined range, for example, 20 mm downward, is calculated from the maximum point in the negative direction, and the average value is defined as the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt).

Further, the position information specifying processing unit 62 does not use the position information of the peduncle 93 connected to the harvesting object 91 in the above-mentioned position specifying processing, but the position information of the harvesting object 91, in this case, the lower end position Pb (in this case). Xb, Yb, Zb), and the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) can be specified.

Further, as shown in FIG. 16 and the like, the harvesting object detection processing unit 61 has a shape including visual information about the main stem 92, in this case, position information of the main stem 92 from the visual information acquired by the visual device 51. And color information can be obtained. The harvesting object detection processing unit 61 extracts point group data having a high green value, which is the color of the main stem 92, from the visual information acquired by the visual device 51, as in the case of the harvesting object 91. Then, for example, when the harvested object detection processing unit 61 has a point cloud having a high green value in a predetermined range or more in the acquired visual information, the point cloud having a high green value is the main stem 92. Recognize that.

The tilt angle setting processing unit 63 can execute the tilt angle setting process. The tilt angle setting process is a process of setting an angle during the tilt process, that is, a tilt angle θ for tilting the end effector 1 along the tilt of the main stem 92. In this case, tilting the end effector 1 along the inclination of the main stem 92 means tilting the end effector 1 so that the plane direction of the passing portion 3 is as parallel as possible to the longitudinal direction of the main stem 92. To do. In the present embodiment, the inclination angle and the inclination angle θ of the main stem 92 are both based on the horizontal.

In the case of the present embodiment, the tilt angle setting process includes a process of setting the tilt angle θ to a preset constant value. That is, in the case of the present embodiment, the inclination angle θ is a constant angle that does not change regardless of the base end position of the harvesting object 91, that is, the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt), the actual inclination of the main stem 92, and the like. is there. In this case, the tilt angle θ is set to a constant value set within the range of 0 ° to 90 °, for example, 60 °. This constant value is, for example, a value registered in advance by the user, a value calculated from visual information of a plurality of main stems 92 acquired from the visual device 51, or the like, and is stored in advance in the storage area 602 of the control device 60. In this case, the tilt angle θ can be, for example, the mean value, the median value, or the mode value of the tilt angles of a plurality of main stems 92 measured.

The movement route generation processing unit 64 can execute the movement route generation processing. In the case of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 17, the movement route generation process includes a process of generating a first movement path R1 and a second movement path R2. The first movement path R1 is a movement path that does not involve a tilting operation for tilting the end effector 1 along the inclination of the main stem 92. In this case, the first movement path R1 passes from the start point position Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs) to the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) of the harvesting object 91 to reach the target position Pg (Xg, Yg, Zg). It is a movement route to.

The first movement path R1 may be a path connecting the start point position Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs), the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb), and the target position Pg (Xg, Yg, Zg). it can. In this case, the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) and the target position Pg (Xg, Yg, Zg) may be connected linearly or curvedly along the harvesting object 91. ..

The second movement path R2 is a movement path after the first movement path R1, and is a movement path accompanied by a tilting operation for tilting the end effector 1 along the inclination of the main stem 92. In this case, in the second movement path R2, the end effector 1 is rotated at the tilt angle θ at the target position Pg (Xg, Yg, Zg), that is, when the end effector 1 is tilted, the passing portion 3 moves to the target position Pg ( It is a movement path from Xg, Yg, Zg) to the end point position Pe (Xe, Ye, Ze) passing upward through the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt).

In this case, the starting point position Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs) can be set to a position immediately below the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) of the harvesting object 91 by a predetermined distance, for example, a position several tens of mm below. .. Further, the end point position Pe (Xe, Ye, Ze) can be set to a position immediately above the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) of the harvesting object 91 by a predetermined distance, for example, a position several tens of mm above.

Further, at the target position Pg (Xg, Yg, Zg), the passing portion 3 passes to the outside of the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) of the harvesting object 91 by tilting the end effector 1 at an inclination angle θ. It can be set to a position, or more specifically, a position that is expected to pass. In this case, the reference for movement on the end effector 1 side is set to, for example, the reference point Pc shown in FIG. The reference point Pc is set at an arbitrary position in the passing portion 3, for example, a center position. Then, for example, the posture in which the reference point Pc and the end point position Pe (Xe, Ye, Ze) are matched with the end effector 1 tilted at the tilt angle θ is set as the posture when cutting the peduncle 93.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 18, the movement path generation processing unit 64 considers that the distance from the rotation axis Ax of the end effector 1 to the reference point Pc in the tilt processing is the distance L, from this distance L and the tilt angle θ. For example, the target position Pg (Xg, Yg, Zg) can be calculated based on the following equation 1.
Pg (Xg, Yg, Zg) = Pe (Xe, Ye, Ze) + (0, L−Lcosθ, −Lsinθ) ・ ・ ・ (Equation 1)

In the case of the present embodiment, the rotation axis Ax of the end effector 1 in the tilting process is set at a fixed position with respect to the base member 10 which is the first member and the moving member 20 which is the second member. In the case of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 19, the rotating shaft Ax has two rod-shaped portions of the moving member 20 extending in the approaching direction of the moving member 20, that is, two to which the rotating member 22 is attached. It is set in one of the rod-shaped parts.

In the present embodiment, the approach direction means the approach direction of the end effector 1 with respect to the harvest target 91 when the end effector 1 moves below the harvest target 91. In the case of the present embodiment, the approach direction of the end effector 1 substantially coincides with the forward direction of the moving member 20 with respect to the base member 10 of the end effector 1. The approach direction of the end effector 1 and the forward direction of the moving member 20 with respect to the base member 10 of the end effector 1 do not necessarily have to be the same.

The position of the rotation axis Ax can be changed according to the direction of inclination of the main stem 92. In the case of the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 19 (A), the main stem 92 extends from the robot arm 52 side, that is, when viewed from the transport device 53 side, the left side is low and the right side is high, so-called right shoulder rise. ing. In this case, when the end effector 1 is moved directly under the harvesting object 91, the left side portion of the left and right rod-shaped portions extending in the approach direction in the annular member 21 is closer to the main stem 92 than the right side portion. Therefore, the rotation axis Ax is set on the left side portion of the left and right rod-shaped portions extending in the approach direction in the moving member 20. When the inclination of the main stem 92 is the opposite of that described above, that is, when it extends upward to the left, the rotation axis Ax is the right side of the left and right rod-shaped portions of the moving member 20 extending in the approach direction, which is closer to the main stem 92. Set to the part.

The approach processing unit 65 can execute the approach process. In the approach process, the robot arm 52 is driven and controlled, and the end effector 1 reaches the start point position Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs) set outside the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) of the harvesting object 91. Includes processing to bring the robots closer together. That is, the approach processing unit 65 drives and controls the robot arm 52 via the robot arm control unit 521, and as shown in FIG. 19, for example, the reference is maintained in a state in which the surface direction of the passing unit 3 faces the horizontal direction. The end effector 1 is made to enter below the harvesting object 91 so that the point Pc coincides with the starting point position Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs).

The movement processing unit 66 can execute the movement processing. In the movement process, as shown in FIGS. 21 to 23, the robot arm 52 is driven and controlled, and the end effector 1 is moved from the outside of the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) to the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt). ) Includes a process of moving toward the side and passing the harvested object 91 through the passing portion 3. In the case of the present embodiment, the movement process includes a process of moving the end effector 1 to the target position Pg (Xg, Yg, Zg). As described above, the target position Pg (Xg, Yg, Zg) is tilted at the target position Pg (Xg, Yg, Zg) by the end effector 1 that has reached the target position Pg (Xg, Yg, Zg). By tilting with, the passing portion 3 is set to a position where the passing portion 3 passes outside the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) of the harvesting object 91.

The tilt processing unit 67 can execute the tilt process. In the tilting process, as shown in FIG. 24, the end effector 1 is tilted along the main stem 92, so that the passing portion 3 passes the harvesting object 91 to the outside of the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt). Includes the process of making the state. In the case of the present embodiment, the tilt processing unit 67 executes the tilt process based on the tilt angle θ set in the tilt angle setting process. Further, in the case of the present embodiment, the tilt processing unit 67 executes the tilt process when the end effector 1 reaches the target position Pg (Xg, Yg, Zg).

Further, in the case of the present embodiment, the inclination angle θ is set to a constant value, for example, 60 °, which is not related to the actual inclination of the main stem 92 or the like. Therefore, when the end effector 1 reaches the target position Pg (Xg, Yg, Zg) by executing the movement processing by the movement processing unit 66, the tilt processing unit 67 executes the tilt processing and tilts the end effector 1 at the tilt angle θ. For example, tilt it to 60 °. As a result, as shown in FIG. 24, the end effector 1 is tilted along the main stem 92, and the passing portion 3 passes the harvesting object 91 to the outside of the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt). It will be in the state of

The cutting processing unit 68 can execute the cutting processing. The cutting process is executed after the passage of the harvesting object 91 to the passing portion 3 is completed by the moving process. In the cutting process, as shown in FIGS. 25 to 30, the end effector 1 is operated, that is, the moving mechanism 30 is driven via the end effector control unit 4, and the moving member 20 is pulled toward the base member 10 and passes through. The process of cutting the fruit stalk 93 passed through the inside of the passing portion 3 by reducing the portion 3 is included.

The load detection processing unit 69 detects the load acting on the moving member 20 when the moving member 20 is moved. As a result, the load detection processing unit 69 detects whether or not the moving member 20 is moving normally. That is, the load detection processing unit 69 detects an overload when the moving member 20 moves, thereby detecting whether or not the movement of the moving member 20 is restricted by involving the main stem 92, the peduncle 93, and the like. can do. When the motor 31 includes an encoder, the load detection processing unit 69 may detect the load acting on the moving member 20 based on the signal output by the encoder. Further, the load detection processing unit 69 can also detect the load acting on the moving member 20 by measuring the current value, that is, the torque of the motor 31.

Further, instead of measuring the encoder or the current value, for example, a sensor for detecting the moving position of the moving member 20 may be used. In this case, the sensor is provided, for example, at the moving end of the moving member 20. Then, although the load detection processing unit 69 controls the movement member 20 to be moved by the end effector control unit 4, if there is no sensor detection, the movement of the moving member 20 is restricted and an overload occurs. Judge that it has occurred.

The overload recovery processing unit 70 can execute the overload recovery processing. The overload recovery process includes a process of releasing the cutting and gripping of the peduncle 93 by the moving member 20 when an overload is detected during the cutting process. When the overload recovery processing unit 70 executes the overload recovery processing, the movement mechanism 30 is driven and controlled via the end effector control unit 4, and the moving member 20 is moved to the front of the end effector 1, that is, in the opening direction. Enlarge the passage 3. As a result, the gripping of the peduncle 93 by the moving member 20 and the gripping member 41 is released.

Then, the overload recovery processing unit 70 drives and controls the robot arm 52 via the robot arm control unit 521, and harvests from the end point position Pe (Xe, Ye, Ze) in the reverse order of the movement processing. Along the movement paths R2 and R1 so as to pass through the upper end positions Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) and the lower end positions Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) of the object 91 and reach the start point positions Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs). The robot arm 52 is moved in the reverse order of the above case.

The recovery processing unit 71 can execute the recovery process. The recovery process is a process of putting the harvest object 91, which has cut and gripped the fruit stalk 93 by the cutting process, into the collection box 54 and recovering the harvest object 91. After the cutting process, the recovery processing unit 71 drives the robot arm 52 via the robot arm control unit 521 to move the end effector 1 to the vicinity above the recovery box 54 while holding the peduncle 93 of the harvesting object 91. Move. Then, the recovery processing unit 71 releases the grip of the peduncle 93 by the end effector 1 in the vicinity of the upper side of the recovery box 54, and drops or arranges the harvest object 91 in the recovery box 54. In this way, the harvesting object 91 separated from the main stem 92 is collected in the collection box 54.

Next, a series of control contents of the harvesting operation for harvesting the harvesting object 91, which is executed in the crop harvesting system 50, will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In the following description, the main body of the processing executed by each processing unit 61 to 71 is the control device 60. In the present embodiment, the harvesting section is set along the main stem 92. The transport device 53 moves along the main stem 92, and the harvesting object 91 growing on the main stem 92 is sequentially harvested along the main stem 92.

In the flowchart of FIG. 20, the processes in steps S13 and S14 are examples of the harvest target detection process. The process in step S15 is an example of the position specifying process. The process in step S16 is an example of the tilt angle setting process. The processes in steps S17 and S18 are examples of the movement route generation process. The process in step S19 is an example of the approach process. The process in step S20 is an example of the move process. The process in step S21 is an example of the tilt process. The process in S22 is an example of a cutting process. The process in step S23 is an example of an overload detection process. The processing in steps S24 and 25 is an example of the collection processing. The processing in steps S26 and S27 is an example of the overload recovery processing.

First, in step S11, the control device 60 identifies the current position of the transport device 53 based on the information received from the transport device control unit 531 and whether or not the current position of the transport device 53 is the end point of the harvesting section. To judge. When the current position of the transport device 53 is the end point of the harvest section (YES in step S11), the control device 60 determines that the next harvest object 91 does not exist, and ends a series of control. On the other hand, when the current position of the transport device 53 is not the end point of the harvest section (NO in step S11), the control device 60 determines that the harvest target 91 still exists. Then, the control device 60 shifts the process to step S12, drives the transport device 53 via the transport device control unit 531 and moves the transport device 53 to the next harvesting point.

Next, the control device 60 executes the harvest target detection process in steps S13 and S14. In step S13, the control device 60 drives the visual device 51 via the visual device control unit 511 to take an image of the harvested object 91 side. Then, in step S14, the control device 60 determines whether or not the visual information captured by the visual device 51, in this case, the image information includes the harvesting object 91.

When the harvest target 91 is not detected in step S14 (NO in step S14), the control device 60 drives the transport device 53 to move the transport device 53 to the next harvest point. On the other hand, when the harvest target 91 is detected in step S14 (YES in step S14), the control device 60 shifts the process to step S15. The control device 60 executes the position identification process in step S15, and based on the visual information acquired by the visual device 51, the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) and the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) is specified.

Next, the control device 60 executes the tilt angle setting process in step S16. In the case of this embodiment, the tilt angle θ is set to a constant value, for example, 60 °. Therefore, the control device 60 uniformly flattens the tilt angle θ regardless of the values of the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) and the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) of the harvesting object 91 specified in step S15. Set to 60 °.

Next, the control device 60 executes the movement route generation process in steps S17 and S18. First, in step S17, the control device 60 has a start point position Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs), based on the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) and the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) specified in step S15. The end point position Pe (Xe, Ye, Ze) is calculated. Further, the control device 60 targets the target based on the end point position Pe (Xe, Ye, Ze), the distance L from the rotation axis Ax of the end effector 1 to the reference point Pc, and the tilt angle θ set in step S16. The position Pg (Xg, Yg, Zg) is calculated. Next, the control device 60 shifts the process to step S18 to generate the first movement path R1 and the second movement path R2, which are the movement paths of the end effector 1.

Next, the control device 60 executes the approach process in step S19 and drives the robot arm 52 via the robot arm control unit 521 to move the end effector 1 to the start point position Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs). Let me. In this case, as shown in FIG. 21, the control device 60 moves the end effector 1 so that the reference point Pc of the end effector 1 coincides with the start point position Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs).

After that, the control device 60 executes the movement process in step S20 and drives the robot arm 52 via the robot arm control unit 521 to move the end effector 1 along the first movement path R1 to the target position Pg (Xg). , Yg, Zg). As a result, as shown in FIGS. 22 and 23, the control device 60 directs the end effector 1 from the outside of the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) to the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) side. And pass the harvesting object 91 through the passing portion 3.

Next, the control device 60 executes the tilting process in step S21 and drives the robot arm 52 via the robot arm control unit 521 to tilt the end effector 1 by tilting an angle θ with respect to the rotation axis Ax. As a result, as shown in FIG. 24, in the control device 60, the end effector 1 is tilted along the main stem 92, and the passing portion 3 moves the harvesting object 91 to the outside of the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yx, Zt). Make it pass through.

In this way, the end effector 1 is moved to the target position Pg (Xg, Yg, Zg) so as to scoop up the harvesting object 91 from below through the passing portion 3 through the harvesting object 91, and then is further tilted by the tilt angle θ. Then, the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) of the harvesting object 91 is moved to a position beyond the main stem 92 side. At this time, a peduncle 93 connecting the harvesting object 91 and the main stem 92 exists inside the passing portion 3. The harvesting object 91 and the main stem 92 are located on the lower outer side and the upper outer side with respect to the passing portion 3, respectively.

Here, it is assumed that the moving member 20 comes into contact with the harvesting object 91 during the movement of the end effector 1. In this case, if no measures are taken, the harvesting object 91 that comes into contact with the moving member 20 may be caught by the moving member 20 and pulled by the end effector 1 to be damaged. On the other hand, the moving member 20 of the present embodiment has a rotating member 22 that can rotate by receiving an external force. Therefore, even if the harvesting object 91 comes into contact with the moving member 20, the rotation of the rotating member 22 can prevent the harvesting object 91 from being caught by the moving member 20 when the end effector 1 moves. As a result, it is possible to more effectively prevent the harvested object 91 from being damaged and the commercial value from being lowered.

Next, the control device 60 executes the cutting process in step S22 of FIG. 20 to drive the end effector 1 via the end effector control unit 4. The control device 60 drives the motor 31 of the moving mechanism 30 to pull the moving member 20 toward the base member 10. Then, as shown in FIGS. 25 to 27, the receiving portion 213 of the moving member 20 first comes into contact with the peduncle 93, whereby the peduncle 93 is pulled toward the base member 10 side as the moving member 20 moves.

Then, when the moving member 20 further moves to the base member 10 side and the locking portions 214 of the moving member 20 come into contact with both ends of the gripping member 41, as shown in FIG. 28, the moving member 20 is gripped with the receiving portion 213. The distance between the member 41 and the grip portion 411 is kept constant. As a result, the fruit handle 93 is between the receiving portion 213 of the moving member 20 and the grip portion 411 of the gripping member 41 in a state where the moving member side protruding portion 215 and the gripping member side protruding portion 414 bite into the fruit handle 93. It is sandwiched between and gripped. Then, as shown in FIG. 29, when the moving member 20 further moves toward the base member 10, the peduncle 93 is cut by the cutting blade 2 as shown in FIG. As a result, the harvest object 91 is separated from the main stem 92.

While the disconnection process is being executed in step S22 of FIG. 20, the control device 60 executes the overload detection process in step S23. If no overload is detected (NO in step S23), the control device 60 determines that the peduncle 93 has been cut without the main stem 92 and the peduncle 93 being entangled, and shifts the process to steps S24 and S25. ..

The control device 60 executes the recovery process in steps S24 and S25. In this case, first, in step S24, the control device 60 drives the robot arm 52 via the robot arm control unit 521, and as shown in FIG. 31, rotates the end effector 1 so as to face horizontally to restore the inclination. At the same time, the end effector 1 is moved to the upper vicinity of the collection box 54. Then, when the end effector 1 is moved to the upper vicinity of the collection box 54, the control device 60 drives and controls the moving mechanism 30 via the end effector control unit 4 in step S25, as shown in FIGS. 32 and 33. The moving member 20 is moved to the front of the end effector 1, that is, in the opening direction, the grip of the peduncle 93 is released, and the harvested object 91 is dropped or placed in the collection box 54. In this way, the harvesting object 91 separated from the main stem 92 is collected in the collection box 54. Then, the control device 60 returns the process to step S11 and harvests the next harvest object 91.

It should be noted that the end effector 1 does not necessarily have to return to the horizontal posture between the time when the end effector 1 cuts the peduncle 93 and the time when the harvesting object 91 is dropped into the collection box 54. The control device 60 may move the end effector 1 to the upper vicinity of the collection box 54 in a tilted state without returning to the horizontal posture.

On the other hand, when the detection of overload is detected in step S23 (YES in step S23), that is, when the moving member 20 cannot move to the moving end on the base member 10 side even though the cutting process is performed. The control device 60 determines that the main stem 92 and the peduncle 93 are entangled and the peduncle 93 is not properly cut, and shifts the process to steps S26 and S27.

The control device 60 executes the overload recovery process in steps S26 and S27. In this case, the control device 60 first drives and controls the moving mechanism 30 via the end effector control unit 4 in step S26, and moves the moving member 20 in front of the end effector 1, that is, in the open direction to grip the fruit handle 93. Release. Next, the control device 60 drives the robot arm 52 via the robot arm control unit 521, and the reference point Pc of the end effector 1 moves from the end point position Pe (Xe, Ye, Ze) to the upper end position Pt (Xt, The second movement path R2 and so as to pass through Yt, Zt), the target position Pg (Xg, Yg, Zg), the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb), and reach the start point position Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs). It is moved along the first movement path R1 in the direction opposite to the above-mentioned order. Then, the control device 60 drives the robot arm 52 via the robot arm control unit 521, returns the end effector 1 to the initial position, that is, the position when the transport device 53 is driven, returns the process to step S11, and then returns to the next step. Harvest the object to be harvested 91.

According to the embodiment described above, the crop harvesting system 50 includes an end effector 1, a visual device 51, and a robot arm 52. The end effector 1 is for harvesting the harvesting object 91 by cutting the peduncle 93 with respect to the harvesting object 91 that has set on the main stem 92 or the branch. The end effector 1 includes a base member 10 as a first member, a moving member 20 as a second member, and a moving mechanism 30. The base member 10 is provided with a cutting blade 2 for cutting the fruit handle 93. The moving member 20 is configured to be movable relative to the base member 10. The moving mechanism 30 has a function of moving the moving member 20 relative to the base member 10.

One or both of the base member 10 and the moving member 20 is formed in an annular shape including the cutting blade 2 to form a passing portion 3 through which the harvesting object 91 can be passed. In the case of the present embodiment, the base member 10 and the moving member 20 are formed in an annular shape including the cutting blade 2, and a passing portion 3 through which the harvesting object 91 can be passed is formed inside the annular shape. ing. Then, the moving mechanism 30 relatively moves the base member 10 and the moving member 20 while passing the peduncle 93 inside the passing portion 3 to reduce the passing portion 3. As a result, the end effector 1 cuts the fruit handle 93 by sandwiching it between the moving member 20 which is the second member and the cutting blade 2.

Here, for example, when an attempt is made to cut the peduncle 93 with a scissors-shaped end effector, when the scissors-shaped end effector is moved to a position where the main stem 92 or a branch can be cut, the peduncle 93 or the branch extends in the extending direction. On the other hand, it is necessary to bring the scissors-shaped end effector closer in the perpendicular direction. Then, when the scissors-shaped end effector is moved, the cutting edge portion may come into contact with the main stem 92 or the branch, and the main stem 92 or the branch may be damaged.

On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, the end effector 1 passes the harvesting object 91 hanging from the main stem 92 or the like through the passing portion 3 so as to scoop the entire harvesting object 91 from below the harvesting object 91. This makes it possible to move the end effector to a position where the main stem 92 and branches can be cut. At that time, since the moving member 20 surrounds the cutting blade 2, it is possible to prevent the main stem 92 from coming into contact with the cutting blade 2, and as a result, the cutting blade 2 damages the main stem 92 and the branches. It is possible to obtain an excellent effect that the harvesting target 91 can be safely harvested.

The moving member 20 as the second member is formed in an annular shape by a member having rigidity. That is, in the present embodiment, the moving member 20 has an annular member 21. The annular member 21 is formed in an annular shape as a whole, for example, made of a rigid metal or resin. According to this, it is possible to prevent the shape and size of the annular member 21, that is, the shape and size of the passing portion 3, from being changed due to the weight of the annular member 21 and the vibration when moving the end effector 1. As a result, the end effector 1 can be moved to facilitate the passage of the harvesting object 91 through the passing portion 3, and as a result, the success rate of harvesting the harvesting object 91 by the end effector 1 can be improved.

The cutting blade 2 is provided over half or more in the width direction of the passing portion 3. According to this, the end effector 1 moves the moving member 20 to reduce the passing portion 3, that is, when the moving member 20 pulls the fruit handle 93 toward the cutting blade 2, the fruit handle 93 is moved. The peduncle 93 can be easily cut by the wide cutting blade 2 without precisely guiding the cutting blade 2. As a result, the peduncle 93 can be easily cut by the wide cutting blade 2 even with relatively coarse position control. As a result, the control load of the robot arm 52 can be reduced, and the success rate of harvesting the harvesting object 91 by the end effector 1 can be further improved.

Further, the end effector 1 further includes a gripping mechanism 40. The gripping mechanism 40 is provided on the base member 10 as the first member. In the gripping mechanism 40, when the base member 10 and the moving member 20 move relatively to reduce the inner diameter of the passing portion 3 and the fruit handle 93 is cut by the cutting blade 2, the moving member 20 receives the receiving portion 213. It has a function of sandwiching and gripping the cut fruit handle 93 between the and.

According to this, the end effector 1 can prevent the harvesting object 91 from falling from the end effector 1 by grasping the cut peduncle 93. As a result, the success rate of harvesting the harvesting object 91 by the end effector 1 can be improved. In addition, it is possible to prevent the harvested object 91 from being damaged by the fall and the commercial value from being lowered.

The gripping mechanism 40 is configured to be elastically movable with respect to the base member 10 which is the first member. The gripping mechanism 40 has a gripping member 41. The gripping member 41 has a gripping portion 411 that comes into contact with the fruit handle 93 when gripping the fruit handle 93. The grip member 41 projects toward the center of the passing portion 3 from the cutting blade 2 in a state where no force is applied to the grip portion 411, and covers one surface of the cutting blade 2. In the case of the present embodiment, the gripping member 41 projects forward from the cutting blade 2 in a state where no force is applied to the gripping portion 411, and covers the surface of the cutting blade 2 on the cover member 13 side. As a result, for example, it is possible to prevent an operator's finger from touching the cutting blade 2 and causing an injury or the like, and as a result, it is possible to improve safety for the operator during work.

Further, when the gripping member 41 of the gripping mechanism 40 receives a force in the direction opposite to the center of the passing portion 3, the gripping member 41 moves from the cutting edge of the cutting blade 2 in the direction opposite to the center of the passing portion 3. In the case of the present embodiment, when the gripping member 41 receives a force toward the rear side of the end effector 1, it retracts to the rear side of the cutting edge 2 so that the cutting blade 2 is exposed. As a result, the end effector 1 can reliably cut the peduncle 93 by the cutting blade 2.

Here, the inventor of the present application brings the grip mechanism 40 and the receiving portion 213 of the moving member 20 close to each other when gripping the fruit handle 93 by the gripping mechanism 40 and the receiving portion 213 of the moving member 20. It was found that the peduncle 93 was crushed as a result, and as a result, water oozes from the peduncle 93 and the peduncle 93 becomes slippery due to the water. Then, when the peduncle 93 becomes slippery, the possibility that the peduncle 93 slides down from between the gripping mechanism 40 and the receiving portion 213 of the moving member 20 and the harvesting object 91 falls is increased.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the gripping mechanism 40 and the receiving portion 213 are separated from each other when the base member 10 and the moving member 20 move relatively and the inner diameter of the passing portion 3 is reduced to the minimum. .. That is, the grip portion 411 of the grip member 41 in the grip mechanism 40 and the receiving portion 213 of the annular member 21 in the moving member 20 move in the direction in which the moving member 20 approaches the base member 10 to the moving end on the rear side. In the moved state, as shown in FIG. 13, a gap having a distance of L1 is formed.

According to this, the end effector 1 can prevent the fruit handle 93 from being crushed when the fruit handle 93 is gripped by the gripping mechanism 40 and the receiving portion 213 of the moving member 20. As a result, it is possible to prevent water from seeping out from the fruit handle 93 when gripping the fruit handle 93, and as a result, the fruit handle 93 slides off from between the gripping mechanism 40 and the receiving portion 213 of the moving member 20. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the harvesting object 91 from falling as much as possible.

Here, the shapes of the harvested object 91, the main stem 92, and the peduncle 93 are not constant because they are agricultural products. For example, those with a short peduncle 93, that is, those with a short distance between the upper end of the harvested object 91 and the main stem 92 are often seen. In this case, if the thickness of the receiving portion 213 is large, the harvesting object 91 may be caught and damaged when the moving member 20 is pulled toward the base member 10. On the other hand, if the thickness of the receiving portion 213 is small, the area of the receiving portion 213 that comes into contact with the peduncle 93 becomes small, and as a result, the gripping force against the peduncle 93 becomes small and the possibility of falling increases.

Therefore, either one or both of the receiving portions 213 provided on the gripping mechanism 40 or the moving member 20 further have protruding portions 414 and 215 protruding toward the center of the passing portion 3. In the case of the present embodiment, the gripping member 41 constituting the gripping mechanism 40 has a gripping member side protruding portion 414. Further, the annular member 21 constituting the moving member 20 has a moving member side protruding portion 215 provided on the receiving portion 213. According to this, when the end effector 1 grips the peduncle 93, the moving member side protrusion 215 and the gripping member side protrusion 414 can bite into the peduncle 93, so that the peduncle 93 can be more reliably gripped. Can be grasped.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the end effector 1 can improve the gripping force with respect to the peduncle 93 as compared with the configuration having no protrusions 414 and 215. Therefore, even if the thickness dimension of the receiving portion 213 is reduced, that is, thinned, the gripping force required for gripping the peduncle 93 without dropping the harvesting object 91 can be secured. As a result, even when the peduncle 93 is short, the harvesting object 91 can be harvested without damaging it as much as possible.

The moving mechanism 30 has, for example, a function of converting the rotational force of the motor 31 into linear movement along the screw shaft 33 to linearly move the moving member 20. In this case, the moving mechanism 30 may be configured by, for example, a so-called rack and pinion structure having a rack gear and a pinion gear. That is, for example, a pinion gear is connected to the motor 31, a rack gear is connected to the moving member 20, and the rotational force of the motor 31 is transmitted to the moving member 20 via the pinion gear and the rack gear. However, in this configuration, the entire rack gear moves linearly with respect to the pinion gear.

Therefore, for example, if the entire rack gear is to be housed inside the base member 10 in FIG. 1, the length dimension of the base member 10 becomes large. On the other hand, if the length dimension of the base member 10 is to be reduced, the rack gear will pop out from the base member 10 due to the movement of the rack gear. Then, for example, when the end effector 1 is attached to the robot arm 52, it may interfere with each other, and the attachment mode may be limited.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the moving mechanism 30 is configured by a linear motion screw mechanism having, for example, a screw shaft 33 and a nut member 34. That is, in the present embodiment, the moving mechanism 30 includes a screw shaft 33, a nut member 34, and a motor 31. The screw shaft 33 is rotatably provided on the base member 10. The nut member 34 is connected to the moving member 20, passes through the screw shaft 33, and moves along the screw shaft 33 as the screw shaft 33 rotates. The motor 31 rotates the screw shaft 33. According to this, since the screw shaft 33 itself does not move in the longitudinal direction of the end effector 1, the length dimension of the end effector 1 can be made as small as possible.

Further, since the screw shaft 33 and the like do not protrude from the base member 10 due to the drive of the moving mechanism 30, when the end effector 1 is attached to the robot arm 52, the end effector 1 is considered to interfere with the robot arm 52. No need. As a result, the end effector 1 can be attached to the robot arm 52 in a relatively free manner. The mounting mode of the end effector 1 with respect to the robot arm 52 can be adjusted by changing the position and shape of the mounting member 15.

Further, in the present embodiment, the passing portion 3 is formed in a rectangular shape. According to this, a larger area can be secured when the passing portion 3 is formed in a rectangular shape than in the case where the passing portion 3 is formed in a circle having a diameter in the width direction of the end effector 1 in FIG. 1, for example. That is, if the moving distances of the moving members 20 are the same, it is possible to secure a larger area in the case where the passing portion 3 is rectangular than in the case where the passing portion 3 is circular. As a result, the harvesting object 91 can be more reliably passed through the passing portion 3, and as a result, the success rate of harvesting can be further improved.

In addition, the crop harvesting system 50 includes a visual device 51 and a robot arm 52. The visual device 51 is configured to be able to acquire visual information including the position information of the harvesting object 91. An end effector 1 is attached to the robot arm 52. Further, the crop harvesting system 50 includes a harvesting object detection processing unit 61, a position information specifying processing unit 62, an approach processing unit 65, a moving processing unit 66, a tilting processing unit 67, and a cutting processing unit 68.

The harvest target detection processing unit 61 can execute the harvest target detection processing. The harvested product detection process includes a process of detecting a harvested object included in the visual information acquired by the visual device 51. The position information specifying processing unit 62 can execute the position specifying process. The position identification process includes the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb), which is the tip position of the harvest target 91 detected by the harvest target detection process, and the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt), which is the base end position. The process of identifying the position of the harvesting object 91 including and is included.

The approach processing unit 65 can execute the approach process. In the approach process, the robot arm 52 is driven and controlled to reach the start point position Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs) set outside the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) which is the tip position of the harvesting object 91. The process of bringing the end effector 1 closer is included. The movement processing unit 66 can execute the movement processing. In the movement process, the robot arm 52 is driven and controlled to move the end effector 1 from the outside of the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) which is the tip position of the harvesting object 91 to the upper end position Pt (the base end position). It includes a process of moving the harvesting object 91 toward the Xt, Yx, Zt) side and passing the harvesting object 91 through the passing portion 3.

The tilt processing unit 67 can execute the tilt process. In the tilting process, the end effector 1 is tilted along the main stem 92 and the branches, and the passing portion 3 passes the harvesting object 91 to the outside of the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) which is the base end position. Includes processing to make. Then, the cutting processing unit 68 can execute the cutting processing. The cutting process includes a process of cutting the peduncle 93 passed through the inside of the passing portion 3 by operating the end effector 1 to reduce the passing portion 3.

According to this, by using the end effector 1 to harvest the harvesting object 91 hanging from the main stem 92 or the branch via the fruit stalk 93, as described above, the cutting blade 2 is used to harvest the harvesting object 91 or the like. It is possible to prevent the harvesting object 91, the main stem 92, and the branches from being damaged by contact with the main stem 92 or the branches as much as possible.

Further, the crop harvesting system 50 performs the tilting process to the position where the end effector 1 cuts the fruit stalk 93, that is, the position between the harvesting object 91 and the main stem 92 or the branch. When moving 1, the end effector 1 can be in a posture along the inclination of the main stem 92 or the branch. As a result, in the crop harvesting system 50, when the end effector 1 moves to the position where the peduncle 93 is cut, the end effector 1 pushes up the main stem 92 and the branches and exerts an unreasonable force. Can be suppressed. As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the harvesting object 91 is harvested using the end effector 1, the end effector 1 exerts an unreasonable force on the main stem 92 and the branches, and the main stem 92 and the branches are separated. It is possible to prevent it from being bent and damaged or cut, and as a result, the harvesting work can be carried out safely.

Here, the distance between the main stem 92 and the harvested object 91, that is, the length of the peduncle 93 is often not constant. When the distance between the main stem 92 and the harvest target 91, that is, the length of the peduncle 93 is short, if the end effector 1 is not tilted along the main stem 92, the distance between the main stem 92 and the harvest target 91 The end effector 1 may hit the main stem 92 before the end effector 1 arrives, and may lift the harvesting object 91 together with the main stem 92. Then, the end effector 1 reaches the end point position Pe (Xe, Ye, Ze) with the harvesting object 91 located inside the passing portion 3. If the cutting process is performed in this state, the harvested object 91 will also be cut.

On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, the end effector 1 is tilted along the main stem 92 when cutting the peduncle 93 by executing the tilting process. Therefore, even when the peduncle 93 is short, the end effector 1 can be arranged between the main stem 92 and the harvesting object 91, and as a result, the harvesting object 91 is erroneously cut. Can be suppressed.

The crop harvesting system 50 further includes a tilt angle setting processing unit 63. The tilt angle setting processing unit 63 can execute the tilt angle setting process. The tilt angle setting process is a process of setting a tilt angle θ for tilting the end effector 1 along the main stem 92 and branches. In the present embodiment, the tilt angle setting process includes a process of setting the tilt angle θ to a preset constant value. Then, the tilt processing unit 67 executes the tilt process based on the tilt angle θ set in the tilt angle setting process.

That is, since the main stem 92 and the branches have a certain degree of flexibility, even if some force is applied to the main stem 92 and the branches due to the movement of the end effector 1 and the like, the main stem 92 and the branches will not break if the force is a certain amount. .. Further, although the angles of the main stem 92 and the branches naturally vary when viewed individually, the same tendency can be seen as a whole. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the tilt angle θ is set to a constant value. According to this, when setting the tilt angle θ, the crop harvesting system 50 does not need to perform image processing or the like using the visual information acquired by the visual device 51 to calculate the tilt angle θ. Therefore, the crop harvesting system 50 can reduce the processing load when setting the tilt angle θ by allowing some load on the main stem 92 and the branches and setting the tilt angle θ to a constant value.

Further, the movement process includes a process of moving the end effector 1 to the target position Pg (Xg, Yg, Zg). The target position Pg (Xg, Yg, Zg) is outside the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) where the passing portion 3 is the base end position of the harvesting object 91 by tilting the end effector 1 at an inclination angle θ. It is set to the position to pass to. Then, the tilt processing unit 67 executes the tilt process when the end effector 1 reaches the target position Pg (Xg, Yg, Zg). That is, the control device 60 moves the end effector 1 from the start point position Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs) to the target position Pg (Xg, Yg, Zg) along the first movement path R1. After that, the control device 60 rotates the end effector 1 around the rotation axis Ax at the target position Pg (Xg, Yg, Zg), and makes the passing portion 3 the base end position Pt (Xt, Yt) of the harvesting object 91. , Zt) outside, in this case, above.

According to this, since the control device 60 executes the tilting process after the end effector 1 reaches the target position Pg (Xg, Yg, Zg), for example, the timing of executing the tilting process is too early, so that the end effector 1 is executed. It is possible to prevent the end effector 1 from coming into contact with the harvesting object 91 when tilting. As a result, the harvesting object 91 can be reliably passed through the passing portion 3 of the end effector 1 while suppressing the end effector 1 from interfering with the harvesting object 91. As a result, it is possible to effectively prevent the harvesting object 91 from being damaged.

Further, the position information specifying processing unit 62 specifies the position of the harvesting object 91 in the position specifying process without using the position information of the peduncle 93 connected to the harvesting object 91. That is, the control device 60 does not perform the process of recognizing the fruit pattern 93 when operating the robot arm 52 based on the visual information from the visual device 51. That is, by using the end effector 1, the peduncle 93 can be accurately cut without performing the process of visually recognizing the peduncle 93.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 34.
The crop harvesting system 50 of the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the content of the tilt angle setting process executed by the tilt angle setting processing unit 63, that is, the processing content in step S16 of FIG. In the case of the present embodiment, the tilt angle setting process includes a process of setting the tilt angle θ based on the visual information acquired by the visual device 51.

That is, for example, in a mini tomato grown in a greenhouse, the tip of the main stem 92 is hung on a rail arranged near the ceiling of the vinyl house, so that the main stem 92 moves from the ground to the ceiling. It extends diagonally upward. In this case, in order not to apply an excessive load to the root of the main stem 92, the vicinity of the ground in the entire main stem 92 is bent. Therefore, the angle of the main stem 92 tends to be small near the ground surface and increase toward the upper side. That is, the angle of the main stem 92 changes in correlation with the height position of the main stem 92. In other words, the angle of the main stem 92 correlates with the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) which is the base end position of the harvesting object 91.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 34, the storage area 602 stores a data table showing the height position of the harvesting object 91 and the tilt angle θ at the height position. In this case, the height position of the harvesting object 91 can be the base end position of the harvesting object 91, that is, the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt). The height position of the harvesting object 91 may be estimated from the tip position of the harvesting object 91, that is, the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) or the height position of the main stem 92.

As shown in FIG. 16 and the like, the data table shown in FIG. 34 is a data table in which the main stem 92 extends upward to the right. In this case, the data table shown in FIG. 34 measures the angle between the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) and the main stem 92 for a plurality of samples of the main stem 92, and performs statistical processing, for example, to perform the upper end position. The correlation between Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) and the angle of the main stem 92 is specified, and the relationship between the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) and the tilt angle θ is set based on the correlation. is there.

Then, the tilt angle setting process determines the height position of the harvesting object 91, in this case, the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) which is the base end position of the harvesting object 91 from the visual information acquired by the visual device 51. It includes a process of specifying and setting the tilt angle θ to the tilt angle corresponding to the height position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) of the specified harvesting object 91.

According to this, the control device 60 can set the tilt angle θ to a value that matches the actual tilt angle of the main stem 92 as much as possible by executing the tilt angle setting process by the tilt angle setting processing unit 63. Therefore, the crop harvesting system 50 can precisely align the end effector 1 with the inclination of the main stem 92 when moving the end effector 1 to a position where the peduncle 93 is cut. As a result, when the harvesting object 91 is harvested using the end effector 1, the end effector 1 applies an unreasonable force to the main stem 92 and the branches, and the main stem 92 and the branches are bent and damaged or cut. It is possible to suppress the stagnation more effectively, and as a result, the harvesting work can be performed more safely.

Further, in the present embodiment, in the tilt angle setting process, when the tilt angle θ is specified from the data table shown in FIG. 34, the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) which is the base end position of the harvesting object 91 is set. Use. Since the information specified by the position specifying process by the position information specifying processing unit 62 can be diverted to the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt), new image processing or the like is performed for the tilt angle setting process. No need. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the control load can be reduced for the tilt angle setting process.

(Third Embodiment)
Next, the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 35 to 37.
The crop harvesting system 50 of the third embodiment differs from each of the above embodiments in the content of the tilt angle setting process executed by the tilt angle setting processing unit 63, that is, the processing content in step S16 of FIG. Similar to the second embodiment, the tilt angle setting process also includes a process of setting the tilt angle θ based on the visual information acquired by the visual device 51.

That is, in the tilt angle setting process of the present embodiment, the shape of the main stem 92 or the branch is extracted from the visual information acquired by the visual device 51, and the pattern matching process or the line is performed on the extracted shape of the main stem 92 or the branch. It includes a process of setting the tilt angle θ by performing the fitting process of. That is, the tilt angle setting processing unit 63 of the present embodiment extracts the shapes of the main stem 92 and the branches from the visual information acquired by the visual device 51, and performs image processing on the extracted information on the shapes of the main stem 92 and the branches. By applying, the actual angle of the main stem 92 and the branch is obtained. Then, the tilt angle setting processing unit 63 sets the tilt angle θ used for the tilt process according to the actual angles of the acquired main stem 92 and branches.

35 and 36 conceptually show an example of pattern matching processing. In this case, as shown in FIG. 35, the storage area 602 stores the reference image 94 in advance. The reference image 94 serves as a reference for acquiring the actual angles of the main stem 92 and the branches. For example, the outer shapes of the plurality of main stems 92 are averaged and arranged so as to extend in the horizontal direction. As shown in FIG. 35, the tilt angle setting processing unit 63 uses the visual information, the point group data, and the color data acquired by the visual device 51 to obtain the main stem 92 and branches in a specific range based on the harvest object 91. The shape is extracted as the reference image 94. Next, as shown in FIG. 36, the tilt angle setting processing unit 63 rotates the reference image 94 set to extend in the horizontal direction, and the matching rate between the shape of the main stem 92 and the like and the reference image 94 is adjusted. The rotation angle of the reference image 94 when it becomes the highest is calculated. Then, the tilt angle setting processing unit 63 sets the calculated rotation angle to the tilt angle θ as the angle of the main stem 92 or the branch corresponding to the harvesting object 91.

Further, FIG. 37 conceptually shows an example of a straight line or curve fitting process. In this case, as shown in FIG. 37, the tilt angle setting processing unit 63 extracts the shapes of the main stem 92 and the branches from the visual information acquired by the visual device 51, for example, the point cloud data and the color data. Then, the tilt angle setting processing unit 63 calculates the regression equation Y of the regression line or the regression curve from the point cloud data constituting the shape of the main stem 92 or the like by using, for example, the least squares method. Next, the tilt angle setting processing unit 63 substitutes, for example, the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) of the harvest target 91 into the calculated regression equation Y, so that the main stem 92 corresponding to the harvest target 91 The angle of the branch and the branch is calculated, and the calculated angle is set to the tilt angle θ.

According to this, the control device 60 can set the tilt angle θ to a value more precisely adjusted to the actual tilt angle of the main stem 92 by executing the tilt angle setting process by the tilt angle setting processing unit 63. .. Therefore, the crop harvesting system 50 can more precisely align the end effector 1 with the inclination of the main stem 92 when moving the end effector 1 to the position where the peduncle 93 is cut. As a result, when the harvesting object 91 is harvested using the end effector 1, the end effector 1 exerts an unreasonable force on the main stem 92 and the branches, and the main stem 92 and the branches are bent to be damaged or cut. The stagnation can be suppressed more effectively, and as a result, the harvesting work can be carried out extremely safely.

(Fourth Embodiment)
Next, the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 38 to 44.
In the crop harvesting system 50 of the fourth embodiment, the specific contents of the movement route generated in the movement route generation processing, the method of determining the tilt angle θ, and the timing of executing the tilt processing are described for each of the above embodiments. Different from each embodiment.

The movement route generation processing unit 64 of the present embodiment generates the movement route R by executing the movement route generation processing. As shown in FIG. 38, the movement path R is from the start point position Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs) to the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) and the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) of the harvesting object 91. It is a movement path of the end effector 1 from the above to the end point position Pe (Xe, Ye, Ze). Therefore, in the moving process in the moving processing unit 66, the moving path R is aimed at the end point position Pe (Xe, Ye, Ze) set outside the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) of the harvested object. The process of moving the end effector 1 along the above is included.

In this case, the position information specifying processing unit 62 is in the middle position Ph (Xh, Xh,) which is an intermediate position from the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) of the harvesting object 91 to the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt). Yh, Zh) can be specified, and the movement path R can be generated so as to pass through the intermediate position Ph (Xh, Yh, Zh). In this case, the movement path R is the positions adjacent to each other in the Z direction, that is, the start point position Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs), the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb), and the intermediate position Ph (X, Y, Z), the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt), and the end point position Pe (Xe, Ye, Ze) are connected in order by a straight line.

The position information specifying processing unit 62 sets the coordinates of the intermediate position in the Z direction between the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) and the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt), for example, as the intermediate position Ph (Xh, Yh, Zh). ). In this case, the Z value of the intermediate position Ph (Xh, Yh, Zh) is the Z value of the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) and the Z value of the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt), that is, the average value. , Ph (Z) = (lower end position Pb (Z) + upper end position Pt (Z)) / 2. Further, the X and Y values of the intermediate positions Ph (Xh, Yh, Zh) are the average values of the X and Y values of the point cloud data having the same Z value as Ph (Z). It is also possible to set a plurality of intermediate positions Ph (Xh, Yh, Zh). In this case, assuming that the number of intermediate positions Ph is N and the number of intermediate positions Ph from the lower end position Pb (Z) is i, the i-th intermediate position Ph_i (Z) can be expressed by the following equation 2. it can.
Ph_i (Z) = ((Pt (Z) -Pb (Z)) / (N + 1)) × i + Pb (Z) ・ ・ ・ (Equation 2)

Further, as shown in FIG. 39, the crop harvesting system 50 of the present embodiment replaces the tilt angle setting processing unit 63 of each of the above embodiments with the rotating shaft side contact detecting unit 72 and the anti-rotating shaft side contact detecting unit 73. It has. Both the contact detection units 72 and 73 have a function of detecting the contact of an object with the end effector 1.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 40, the rotation shaft side contact detection unit 72 goes from the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) side to the tip position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) side with respect to the end effector 1. A force, in other words, a force in the direction opposite to that when moving along the movement path R by the movement process, in this case, a downward force, which acts on the rotation axis Ax side portion of the end effector 1. By detecting the force Lf, it has a function of detecting the contact of an object with the portion of the end effector 1 on the Ax side of the rotation axis.

Further, the counter-rotating shaft side contact detection unit 73 moves the force from the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) side to the tip position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) side with respect to the end effector 1, in other words, the movement. Detects the force Rf acting on the end effector 1 on the side opposite to the rotation axis Ax, which is the force in the direction opposite to that when moving along the movement path R by the processing, in this case, the downward force. By doing so, it has a function of detecting the contact of an object with the portion of the end effector 1 opposite to the rotation axis Ax.

In the present embodiment, the rotary shaft Ax side portion of the end effector 1 is a portion of the annular member 21 constituting the moving member 20 to which the rotary member 22 on the left side is attached as shown in FIG. 40. Can be. Further, the portion of the end effector 1 opposite to the rotating shaft Ax is the portion of the annular member 21 constituting the moving member 20 to which the rotating member 22 on the right side is attached as shown in FIG. 40. be able to.

Incidentally, if the inclination angle of the main stem 92 is reversed, the relationship between the portion on the rotation axis Ax side and the portion on the side opposite to the rotation axis Ax is also reversed. That is, when the inclination of the main stem 92 is upward to the left, the rotation axis Ax is set on the right side portion of FIG. 40 in the end effector 1. In this case, the rotation shaft Ax side portion of the end effector 1 is the right side portion of FIG. 40, and the portion opposite to the rotation shaft Ax side is the left side portion of FIG. 40.

The contact detection units 72 and 73 can be composed of, for example, a torque sensor for detecting a force in the rotational direction acting on the end effector 1. In this case, each of the contact detection units 72 and 73 can be configured as one function of the robot arm 52 or the robot arm control unit 521, that is, a function associated with the robot arm 52 or the robot arm control unit 521.

Further, the contact detection units 72 and 73 attach, for example, a contact sensor or a pressure sensor to, for example, the rotating member 22 portion of the end effector 1, and directly indicate that some object has come into contact with the end effector 1 by the contact sensor or the pressure sensor. It may be configured to detect. In this case, the contact detection units 72 and 73 can be configured as one function of the end effector 1 or the end effector control unit 4, that is, a function associated with the end effector 1 or the end effector control unit 4. The contact detection units 72 and 73 can also be configured as a device independent of the robot arm 52, the robot arm control unit 521, and the end effector 1 and the end effector control unit 4.

Then, in the above configuration, the rotary shaft side contact detection unit 72 detects a force Lf acting on the end effector 1 by a force other than the driving force of the motor that drives each axis of the robot arm 52 during the movement process of the end effector 1, for example. In this case, it is determined that some object has come into contact with the portion of the end effector 1 on the Ax side of the rotation axis. Further, when the counter-rotating shaft side contact detection unit 73 detects, for example, a force Rf acting on the end effector 1 by a force other than the driving force of the motor that drives each axis of the robot arm 52 during the tilting process, the end effector 1 detects the force Rf. It is determined that some object has come into contact with the portion of the end effector 1 opposite to the rotation axis Ax.

Further, the control device 60 determines the timing at which the tilt processing unit 67 starts the tilt processing based on the detection result of the rotation shaft side contact detection unit 72. That is, while the control device 60 is moving the end effector 1 along the movement path R to the end point position Pe (Xe, Ye, Ze) by the movement process, the control device 60 makes contact with the object by the rotation axis side contact detection unit 72. When it is detected, the tilting process by the tilting processing unit 67 is started. In this case, the control device 60 makes contact with the object by the rotation axis side contact detection unit 72 while the end effector 1 is being moved to the end point position Pe (Xe, Ye, Ze) along the movement path R by the movement process. If is not detected, the tilting process by the tilting processing unit 67 is not executed.

Further, the control device 60 determines the tilt angle θ by the tilt process by the tilt process unit 67 based on the detection result of the counter-rotating shaft side contact detection unit 73. That is, when the control device 60 detects the contact of an object by the counter-rotating shaft side contact detecting unit 73 while the tilting processing unit 67 executes the tilting process and tilts the end effector 1, the control device 60 tilts. The process is completed, thereby determining the tilt angle θ. That is, after the tilting process by the tilting processing unit 67 is started, the control device 60 continues to tilt the end effector 1 until the anti-rotating shaft side contact detecting unit 73 detects the contact of an object, and the anti-rotating shaft side contact detecting unit When the contact of an object is detected by 73, the operation of tilting the end effector 1 is stopped.

Next, the control contents executed by the control device 60 will be described with reference to FIG. 41. In this case, steps S32 and S33 in FIG. 41 are examples of the movement process. Further, steps S34 to S36 are examples of the tilting process. In the flowchart of FIG. 41, the processes after step S22 are the same as those of steps S23 to S27 of FIG. 20, and the description thereof is omitted.

The control device 60 executes steps S11 to S16 in the same manner as in the first embodiment. After that, the control device 60 executes the movement route generation process in step S31 to generate the movement route R. After that, the control device 60 performs the approach process in step S19 in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

Next, the control device 60 executes the movement process in step S32, and as shown in FIGS. 42 and 43, the end effector 1 along the movement path R aimed at the end point position Pe (Xe, Ye, Ze). Start moving. Next, in step S33, the control device 60 determines whether or not an object is in contact with the rotation shaft Ax side portion of the end effector 1, that is, the main stem 92 is in contact, based on the detection result of the rotation shaft side contact detection unit 72. When the contact of the object with the rotation axis Ax side portion of the end effector 1 is not detected (NO in step S33), the control device 60 continues the movement process, that is, continues the movement along the movement path R of the end effector 1. To do.

On the other hand, when the contact of the object with the rotation axis Ax side portion of the end effector 1 is detected (YES in step S33), the control device 60 stops the movement process, that is, the movement of the end effector 1 as shown in FIG. 43. The movement along the route R is stopped, and the process shifts to step S34. Then, in step S34, the control device 60 starts the tilting process by the tilting processing unit 67, and as shown in FIGS. 43 and 44, is centered on the rotation axis Ax and is opposite to the rotation axis Ax in the end effector 1. The operation of tilting the end effector 1 is started so that the side portion approaches the main stem 92.

Next, in step S35, the control device 60 has or does not have contact with an object, that is, contact with the main stem 92 with respect to a portion of the end effector 1 opposite to the rotation axis Ax, based on the detection result of the anti-rotation axis side contact detection unit 73. To judge. When the contact of the object with the portion of the end effector 1 opposite to the rotation axis Ax is not detected (NO in step S35), the control device 60 continues the tilting process, that is, the operation of tilting the end effector 1.

On the other hand, when the contact of the object with the portion of the end effector 1 opposite to the rotation axis Ax is detected (YES in step S35), the control device 60 shifts the process to step S36. Then, in step S36, the control device 60 stops the tilting process, that is, stops the operation of tilting the end effector 1. After that, the control device 60 executes the processes after step S22 in the same manner as in the first embodiment, cuts the peduncle 93, and harvests the harvested object 91.

According to the fourth embodiment, the crop harvesting system 50 further includes a rotation shaft side contact detection unit 72. The rotation shaft side contact detection unit 72 can detect the contact of an object with the rotation shaft Ax side portion of the end effector 1 in the tilting process. Further, in the moving process, the end effector 1 is moved toward the end point position Pe (Xe, Ye, Ze) set outside the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) which is the base end position of the harvesting object 91. Includes the process of moving. Then, when the tilt processing unit 67 detects the contact of an object by the rotation shaft side contact detection unit 72 while the end effector 1 is being moved toward the end point position Pe (Xe, Ye, Ze) by the movement process. Tilt to and start processing.

That is, for example, even if the end effector 1 actually comes into contact with the main stem 92 or the like while the end effector 1 is being moved along the movement path R by executing the movement processing, the operation by the movement processing is continued. If this happens, the end effector 1 will continue to apply force to the main stem 92 and the like, and in severe cases, the main stem 92 and the like may be damaged.

On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, when the end effector 1 actually comes into contact with the main stem 92 or the like while the end effector 1 is being moved by executing the movement process, the end along the movement path R is reached. The movement of the effector 1 can be stopped. As a result, if the end effector 1 actually comes into contact with the main stem 92 or the like while the end effector 1 is being moved by executing the movement processing, the movement of the end effector 1 by the movement processing will continue. Can be prevented. As a result, it is possible to more accurately prevent the end effector 1 from continuously applying force to the main stem 92 and the like and damaging it. As a result, it is possible to obtain an excellent effect that the harvesting work can be performed more safely.

Further, the crop harvesting system 50 further includes a counter-rotating shaft side contact detection unit 73. The counter-rotating shaft side contact detecting unit 73 can detect contact of an object with a portion of the end effector 1 opposite to the rotating shaft Ax side in the tilting process. Then, when the tilt processing unit 67 detects the contact of an object by the anti-rotation shaft side contact detection unit 73 during the operation of tilting the end effector 1 by executing the tilt processing, the tilt processing unit 67 ends the tilt processing.

That is, for example, even if the end effector 1 actually comes into contact with the main stem 92 or the like while the end effector 1 is tilted by executing the tilting process, if the operation by the tilting process is continued, the main stem 92 or the like On the other hand, the end effector 1 continues to apply force, and in the worst case, the main stem 92 or the like may be damaged.

On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, if the end effector 1 actually comes into contact with the main stem 92 or the like while the end effector 1 is being tilted by executing the tilting process, the operation of tilting the end effector 1 is stopped. can do. As a result, if the end effector 1 actually comes into contact with the main stem 92 or the like while the end effector 1 is tilted by executing the tilting process, it is possible to prevent the operation due to the tilting process from being continued. As a result, it is possible to more accurately prevent the end effector 1 from continuously applying force to the main stem 92 and the like and damaging it. As a result, it is possible to obtain an excellent effect that the harvesting work can be performed more safely.

Here, for example, when the harvesting object 91 has a curved shape as a whole, it is linear from the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) of the harvesting object 91 to the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt). When the end effector 1 is moved to, the end effector 1 may come into contact with the harvesting object 91 in the middle of the movement and damage the harvesting object 91.

Therefore, the position identification process executed by the position information identification processing unit 62 is a position in the middle from the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) of the harvesting object 91 to the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt). It further includes a process of identifying the intermediate position Ph (X, Y, Z). The movement route generation process executed by the movement route generation processing unit 64 further includes a process of generating the movement path R of the end effector 1 so as to pass through the intermediate positions Ph (X, Y, Z).

According to this, the movement path R can be made to follow the shape of the harvesting object 91 as much as possible even when the harvesting object 91 is curved as a whole. That is, according to this crop harvesting system 50, for example, when the harvesting object 91 is bent as a whole, the end effector 1 is moved to the cutting position of the peduncle 93 along the movement path R. Can more effectively prevent the harvesting object 91 from coming into contact with the harvesting object 91 and damaging it.

Further, for example, when there is a high possibility that the end effector 1 comes into contact with the harvesting object 91 when moving the end effector 1, it is necessary to reduce the impact at the time of contact to reduce the damage to the harvesting object 91. .. In this case, it is necessary to slow down the moving speed of the end effector 1, and as a result, the harvesting efficiency may decrease. On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, it is unlikely that the end effector 1 comes into contact with the harvesting object 91 when the end effector 1 is moved due to the above-described configuration. Therefore, the moving speed of the end effector 1 can be increased, and as a result, the efficiency of the harvesting operation can be further improved.

In this case, the movement route generation process executed by the movement route generation processing unit 64 is the lower end position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb), the intermediate position Ph (X, Y, Z), and the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt). ) Are connected in order with a straight line to generate a movement path R. That is, in the present embodiment, the movement path R is composed of a plurality of straight lines connecting each position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb), Ph (X, Y, Z), Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) in this order. ing.

According to this, for example, the number of coordinate points to be recognized can be reduced as compared with the case where the movement path R is generated in a smooth curved shape along the curve of the harvesting object 91, that is, when the entire orbit is generated. The processing load of the movement route generation processing unit 64 when generating the movement route R can be significantly reduced. Thereby, the processing speed at the time of generating the movement path R can be improved. That is, the crop harvesting system 50 can reduce the time from recognizing the harvesting object 91 to generating the movement path R and then actually operating the robot arm 52.

Further, in this case, as compared with the case where the movement path R is generated by a smooth curve, the movement path R is generated at each position Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb), Ph (X, Y, Z), Pt (Xt, Yt, The moving distance of the end effector 1 can be shortened by generating a plurality of straight lines connecting Zt) in order. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the time required to move the end effector 1 to the cuttable position of the fruit handle 93, that is, the operating time of the robot arm 52 can be shortened. As a result, the operating speed of the crop harvesting system 50 can be improved, the operating period can be shortened, and the speed of the harvesting operation can be improved.

(Fifth Embodiment)
Next, the fifth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 45 to 59.
In each of the above embodiments, if the rotation axis Ax of the end effector 1 is not appropriately set with respect to the positional relationship between the main stem 92 and the harvesting object 91, it is assumed that the end effector 1 is tilted along the main stem 92. However, there is a possibility that the passing portion 3 may not completely pass through the harvesting object 91, and the harvesting object 91 near the upper part of the bunch may be cut.

Here, for example, when the harvesting object 91 is a cherry tomato, the inventor of the present application investigated the positional relationship between the harvesting object 91 and the peduncle 93 with respect to the main stem 92, and found that the results were roughly as follows. all right. 46, 48, and 50 show a point cloud of the harvested object 91 and the main stem 92 near the upper end position, that is, the upper end position Pt (Zt) of the harvested object 91, based on the visual information acquired by the visual device 51. It is a figure which virtually replaced the data with an image when viewed in a plane. In this case, of the harvested object 91 and the main stem 92, the portion within the field of view of the visual device 51, that is, the portion where the point cloud data can be actually acquired is shown by a solid line. Further, of the harvested object 91 and the main stem 92, the portion out of the field of view, that is, the portion that is a blind spot, that is, the portion where the point cloud data could not be acquired is indicated by a two-dot chain line.

As shown in FIGS. 45 and 46, most of the positional relationships of the harvested object 91 with respect to the main stem 92 are such that the harvested object 91 and the peduncle 93 are located laterally with respect to the main stem 92. It accounted for about 70% to 80% of the total. Next, as shown in FIGS. 47 and 48, in many cases, the harvested object 91 and the peduncle 93 are located on the front side, that is, in front of the main stem 92, and about 20% to 30% of the whole is located. Occupied. As shown in FIGS. 49 and 50, the harvested object 91 and the peduncle 93 are located on the back side, that is, the back side of the main stem 92, which is the least, accounting for about 10% of the total. It was.

In this case, by making the approach direction of the rotation axis Ax in the tilting process and the end effector 1 in the approaching process correspond to those in which the harvesting object 91 and the peduncle 93 are located laterally with respect to the main stem 92. About 70% to 80% of the whole can be safely harvested. However, in this case, for the remaining 20% to 30%, that is, the harvest target 91 and the peduncle 93 located on the front side or the back side with respect to the main stem 92, the harvest target 91 near the upper part of the bunch There is still the possibility of disconnecting.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, in the control device 60, the axial direction of the rotation axis of the end effector 1 when executing the tilting process crosses the peduncle 93 extending from the main stem 92, that is, the extending direction of the peduncle 93. The posture of the end effector 1 is adjusted so that the direction intersects with and at a right angle as much as possible. As a result, the passing portion 3 of the end effector 1 can be passed beyond the upper end portion of the harvesting object 91.

Specifically, the rotation axis Ax of the end effector 1 in the tilting process is set to a fixed position in the end effector 1. That is, the rotation shaft Ax is fixed to one side portion of the portion of the moving member 20 where the rotation members 22 are provided on both the left and right sides, in this case, the left portion. Then, the approach process is adjusted so that the axial direction of the rotation axis Ax crosses the peduncle 93 extending from the main stem 92, that is, intersects the extending direction of the peduncle 93 as much as possible at a right angle to the starting point position. It includes a process of approaching Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs).

That is, in the present embodiment, the control device 60 of the end effector 1 with respect to the main stem 92 and the harvesting object 91 when the end effector 1 is brought close to the start point position Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs) by executing the approach process. The approach angle, that is, the approach direction is changed according to the positional relationship between the main stem 92 and the harvesting object 91. The positional relationship between the main stem 92 and the harvested object 91 can be obtained from the visual information acquired by the visual device 51.

In this case, the control device 60 first executes the approach processing, and as shown in FIGS. 51, 53, and 55, first, as shown in FIGS. 51, 53, and 55, the point cloud data of the harvested object 91 and the main stem 92 in the vicinity of the upper end position Pt (Zt). From the inside, the main stem side end position Ha (Xa, Ya) and the object side end position Hb (Xb, Yb) are specified. In this case, the main stem side end position Ha (Xa, Ya) means the X and Y values of the most + Y side end points in the point group of the main stem 92 in FIGS. 45 to 50 and the like. Further, the object-side end position Hb (Xb, Yb) means the X and Y values of the most + Y-side end points in the point cloud of the harvesting object 91 in FIGS. 45 to 50 and the like. Then, in the case of the present embodiment, the main stem side end position Ha (Xa, Ya) is the right end portion of the main stem 92 in FIGS. 52, 54, and 56, and the object side end position Hb (Xb, Yb). Is the left end of the harvested object 91 in FIGS. 52, 54, and 56.

In the case of the present embodiment, the tip end side means the substantially + Y side in FIGS. 45 to 50 and the like or the substantially right side in FIGS. 52, 54 and 56. Further, the proximal end side means the substantially −Y side in FIGS. 45 to 50 and the substantially left side in FIGS. 52, 54 and 56. In the following description, the X and Y values on the tip side of the main stem 92 are referred to as the main stem side end position Ha (Xa, Ya), and the X and Y values on the base end side of the harvesting object 91 are the objects. It is referred to as a side end position Hb (Xb, Yb).

By executing the approach process, the control device 60 compares the X value of the main stem side end position Ha (Xa, Ya) and the object side end position Hb (Xb, Yb) to specify the context. Then, the control device 60 calculates a straight line connecting the main stem side end position Ha (Xa, Ya) and the object side end position Hb (Xb, Yb), and determines the direction from the front side to the back side of the straight line. The approach direction is Ap. Then, the control device 60 brings the end effector 1 close to the start point position Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs) at an approach angle substantially along the approach direction Ap. As a result, the axial direction of the rotation axis Ax of the end effector 1 is adjusted so as to cross the peduncle 93 extending from the main stem 92, that is, to intersect the extending direction of the peduncle 93 as much as possible, and the starting point. It can be approached to the position Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs).

In this case, the approach direction Ap is the front side, that is, the robot arm 52 side to the back side regardless of the X and Y values of the main stem side end position Ha (Xa, Ya) and the object side end position Hb (Xb, Yb). The direction is toward. That is, for example, in the examples of FIGS. 51 and 53, of the main stem side end position Ha (Xa, Ya) and the object side end position Hb (Xb, Yb), the object side end position Hb (Xb, Yb) Is located on the front side, that is, on the robot arm 52 side. Therefore, in the examples of FIGS. 51 and 53, the control device 60 sets the approach direction Ap in the direction from the object side end position Hb (Xb, Yb) to the main stem side end position Ha (Xa, Ya). To do.

On the other hand, in the example of FIG. 55, for example, of the main stem side end position Ha (Xa, Ya) and the object side end position Hb (Xb, Yb), the main stem side end position Ha (Xa, Ya) is It is located on the front side, that is, on the robot arm 52 side. Therefore, in the example of FIG. 55, the control device 60 sets the approach direction Ap in the direction from the main stem side end position Ha (Xa, Ya) to the object side end position Hb (Xb, Yb).

According to this, when the tilting process is executed, the passing portion 3 of the end effector 1 can be more reliably passed through the harvesting object 91. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to reduce cutting of the harvesting object 91 near the upper part in the entire bunch regardless of the positional relationship between the harvesting object 91 and the peduncle 93 with respect to the main stem 92, and as a result, it is possible to reduce the cutting. , The harvested object can be harvested more safely.

Further, in order to more reliably pass the passing portion 3 of the end effector 1 to the harvested object 91 when the tilting process is executed, the rotation axis Ax of the end effector 1 is set immediately before the tilting process is executed. It is preferable that the handle 93 is located as close as possible to the handle 93. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the control device 60 sets the end effector 1 so that the harvesting object 91 is located on the rotation axis Ax side of the center Pc of the passing portion 3 by the time when the end effector 1 is tilted by the tilting process. The process of adjusting the posture can be executed. This process may be included in the approach process or may be included in the initial stage of the tilt process. According to this, the passing portion 3 of the end effector 1 can be more reliably passed through the harvesting object 91, and as a result, the harvesting object can be harvested more safely.

Further, the control device 60 can also set the approach direction Ap by adding or subtracting the offset angle α, as shown in FIGS. 57, 58, and 59, for example. The offset angle α may be, for example, a preset fixed value, for example, a table selectively selected from a plurality of values, or a value set according to learning or the like. There may be. In this case, for example, the center of rotation at the offset angle α can be the midpoint of a straight line connecting the main stem side end position Ha (Xa, Ya) and the object side end position Hb (Xb, Yb).

In this case, in the control device 60, the straight line connecting the main stem side end position Ha (Xa, Ya) and the object side end position Hb (Xb, Yb) is the main stem side end position Ha (Xa, Ya) and, respectively. The approach direction Ap is rotated in the direction away from the object side end position Hb (Xb, Yb). For example, in the examples of FIGS. 57 and 58, the control device 60 further rotates the offset angle α in the clockwise direction with respect to the approach direction Ap set in FIGS. 51 and 53, respectively. Further, for example, in the example of FIG. 59, the control device 60 further rotates the offset angle α in the counterclockwise direction with respect to the approach direction Ap set in FIG. 55.

According to this, when the tilting process is executed, the passing portion 3 of the end effector 1 can be more reliably passed through the harvesting object 91, and the harvesting object can be harvested more safely.

(Sixth Embodiment)
Next, the sixth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 60 to 62.
In the present embodiment, the method of determining the approach direction in the approach process is different from that of the fifth embodiment. In the present embodiment, the control device 60 first drives the robot arm 52 when executing the approach process, and harvests from a plurality of directions, for example, as shown by the white arrows A, B, and C in FIGS. 60 to 62. The object 91 is imaged. Then, the control device 60 is in the direction in which the distance between the harvesting object 91 and the main stem 92 appears to be the farthest in the Z value of the upper end position Pt (Xt, Yt, Zt) among the imaging directions, that is, the gap is the largest. The direction that looks big is determined as the approach direction.

For example, in the example of FIG. 60, the harvesting object 91 and the peduncle 93 are located laterally with respect to the main stem 92. In this case, the gap between the main stem 92 and the main stem 92 is the largest when viewed from the front direction with respect to the main stem 92 and the harvest target 91, that is, from the direction of the white arrow B. Therefore, the control device 60 determines the direction of the white arrow B as the approach direction.

Further, for example, in the example of FIG. 61, the harvesting object 91 and the peduncle 93 are located on the front side, that is, in front of the main stem 92. In this case, the gap between the main stem 92 and the main stem 92 is the largest when viewed from the side where the main stem 92 is lowered with respect to the main stem 92 and the harvest target 91, that is, from the direction of the white arrow A. Therefore, the control device 60 determines the direction of the white arrow A as the approach direction.

When the harvesting object 91 is located on the front side of the main stem 92 as shown in FIG. 61, the control device 60 raises the main stem 92 with respect to the main stem 92 and the harvesting object 91. Even if there is a gap on the side of the vehicle, that is, when viewed from the direction of the white arrow C, this direction is not determined as the approach direction. If the vehicle enters from this direction, the rotation axis Ax is located on the opposite side of the main stem 92 with the harvest target 91 in between, so that the passing portion 3 cannot pass through the harvest target 91 even if the tilting process is executed. Because.

Further, for example, in the example of FIG. 62, the harvesting object 91 and the peduncle 93 are located on the back side, that is, the back side with respect to the main stem 92. In this case, the gap between the main stem 92 and the main stem 92 is the largest when viewed from the side where the main stem 92 is raised with respect to the main stem 92 and the harvest target 91, that is, in the direction of the white arrow C. Therefore, the control device 60 determines the direction of the white arrow C as the approach direction.

When the harvesting object 91 is located on the back side of the main stem 92 as shown in FIG. 62, the control device 60 lowers the main stem 92 with respect to the main stem 92 and the harvesting object 91. Even if there is a gap on the side of the vehicle, that is, when viewed from the direction of the white arrow A, this direction is not determined as the approach direction. If the vehicle enters from this direction, the rotation axis Ax is located on the opposite side of the main stem 92 with the harvest target 91 in between, so that the passing portion 3 cannot pass through the harvest target 91 even if the tilting process is executed. Because.

Also in this embodiment as described above, when the tilting process is executed, the passing portion 3 of the end effector 1 can be more reliably passed through the harvesting object 91. Therefore, also in this embodiment, it is possible to reduce cutting of the harvesting object 91 near the upper part in the entire bunch regardless of the positional relationship between the harvesting object 91 and the peduncle 93 with respect to the main stem 92, and as a result, it is possible to reduce the cutting. It is possible to harvest the harvested object more safely.

(7th Embodiment)
Next, the seventh embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 63 to 65.
In the tilting process by the tilting processing unit 67, the portion of the end effector 1 that is closest to the main stem 92 or the branch is set to the rotation axis Ax, and the opposite side of the rotation axis Ax is tilted so as to approach the main stem 92 or the branch. Including. That is, in the fifth embodiment, the position of the rotating shaft Ax was fixed, while in the present embodiment, the control device 60 has a rotating shaft according to the positional relationship between the main stem 92 and the harvesting object 91. The position of Ax is changed as appropriate.

For example, as shown in FIG. 63, in the control device 60, as the rotation axis during the tilting process, the appropriate one of the roll rotation axis Axr and the pitch rotation axis App is set between the main stem 92 and the harvest target 91. It can be appropriately selected according to the positional relationship. In this case, the roll rotation axis Axr is a rotation axis for tilting the end effector 1 in the roll direction. Similar to the rotation shaft Ax in the fifth embodiment, the roll rotation shaft Axr is fixed to, for example, one side portion of the annular member 21 provided with the rotation members 22 on both the left and right sides, in this case, the left side portion. There is.

On the other hand, the pitch rotation axis App is a rotation axis for tilting the end effector 1 in the pitch direction. In this case, the pitch rotation axis App is set at, for example, the most advanced portion of the annular member 21. Then, when the tilting process is executed about the pitch rotation axis Axp, the end effector 1 is set so that the connecting portion between the end effector 1 and the robot arm 52 moves upward as shown in FIGS. 55 and 56. Can be tilted.

Then, in the approach process, the end effector 1 is approached to the starting point position Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs) at a constant approach angle with respect to the harvesting object 91 regardless of the positional relationship of the harvesting object 91 with respect to the main stem 92 and the branches. Including the process of causing.

This also makes it possible to more reliably pass the passing portion 3 of the end effector 1 to the harvesting object 91 when the tilting process is executed. As a result, regardless of the positional relationship between the harvest target 91 and the peduncle 93 with respect to the main stem 92, it is possible to reduce cutting of the harvest target 91 near the upper part of the entire bunch, and as a result, the harvest target is safer. You can harvest things.

(8th Embodiment)
Next, the eighth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 66.
In the eighth embodiment, the configuration of the end effector 1 is different from each of the above-described embodiments. In this case, the cutting blade 2 is provided in a range of half or less in the width direction of the passing portion 3. In the case of the present embodiment, the length dimension of the cutting blade 2 in the width direction of the passing portion 3 is about 1/4 of the entire width direction of the passing portion 3. Further, the cutting blade 2 is provided at the center of the passing portion 3 in the width direction. On the other hand, the guide portion 132 is provided in a range of more than half in the width direction of the passing portion 3.

In this case as well, the base member 10 is the first member and the moving member 20 is the second member, as in each of the above embodiments. Then, the base member 10 and the moving member 20 are formed in an annular shape including the cutting blade 2 to form a passing portion 3 through which the harvesting object 91 can be passed inside the annular shape.
Even with this configuration, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiments can be obtained.

Further, in this case, the dimension in the width direction of the recessed portion 131 can be set to be larger than the outer diameter of the peduncle 93 and smaller than the human finger, for example, 10 mm or less. According to this, it is possible to prevent the operator's finger from entering the recessed portion 131 and coming into contact with the cutting blade 2, so that safety can be further improved.

(9th Embodiment)
Next, the ninth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 67.
In the present embodiment, the end effector 1 includes a base member 10A instead of the base member 10 of each of the above embodiments, and a moving member 20A instead of the moving member 20. The base member 10A has the same configuration as the base member 10A in each of the above embodiments. Further, the moving member 20A has substantially the same configuration as the moving member 20 in each of the above embodiments, but is different in that the annular member 21 is provided with the cutting blade 2.

The cutting blade 2 is provided at a position of the annular member 21 facing the gripping mechanism 40. In this case, the base member 10A is not provided with the cutting blade 2. The cutting blade 2 moves in the direction of approaching and separating from the base member 10 as the moving member 20A moves. In the present embodiment, the moving member 20A functions as the first member, and the base member 10A and the gripping member 41A function as the second member. The moving member 20A, the base member 10A, and the gripping member 41A are formed in an annular shape including the cutting blade 2 and form a passing portion 3 through which the harvesting object 91 can be passed. ..
Even with this configuration, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiments can be obtained.

(10th Embodiment)
Next, the tenth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 68 and 69.
The end effector 1 of the present embodiment replaces the base member 10, the moving member 20, the gripping mechanism 40, and the gripping member 41 of each of the above-described embodiments with the base member 10B, the non-moving member 20B, the gripping mechanism 40B, and the gripping member 41. The member 41B is provided. The base member 10B has the same configuration as the base member 10 in each of the above embodiments. Further, the non-moving member 20B has substantially the same configuration as the moving member 20 in each of the above embodiments, but is different in that it is fixed to the base member 10B. Further, the gripping mechanism 40B and the gripping member 41B have substantially the same configurations as the gripping mechanism 40 and the gripping member 41 in each of the above embodiments, but are configured to be relatively movable with respect to the base member 10. It's different.

That is, in the present embodiment, the annular member 21 is fixed to, for example, the holding member 11 of the base member 10A. Therefore, the annular member 21 is configured to be relatively immovable with respect to the base member 10A. On the other hand, the gripping mechanism 40B is configured to be movable relative to the base member 10.

Further, in the case of the present embodiment, the moving mechanism 30 has a linear actuator 39 instead of the motor 31, the bearing 32, the screw shaft 33, and the nut member 34. The linear actuator 39 is an actuator that is driven in a linear direction, and is, for example, an pneumatic or electric cylinder, a linear slider, or the like. The linear actuator 39 is provided between the holding member 11 on the front side and the holding member 12 on the rear side.

The linear actuator 39 has a drive shaft 391 and an end member 392. The end member 392 is provided at the tip of the drive shaft 391 and moves in the front-rear direction as the drive shaft 391 expands and contracts. The gripping mechanism 40B is connected to the drive shaft 391 via an end member 392. Then, as shown in FIGS. 59 and 60, the gripping mechanism 40B moves in the front-rear direction of the end effector 1, that is, in the front-rear direction of the passing portion 3 as the drive shaft 391 expands and contracts. In this case, the end member 392 has a sliding groove 393 as a configuration corresponding to the sliding groove 111 of the holding member 11, and the sliding portion 412 of the gripping member 41 is configured so that the sliding groove 393 can be slidable. Has been done.

The cutting blade 2 is provided in the gripping mechanism 40B. Therefore, in the case of the present embodiment, the gripping member 41B of the gripping mechanism 40B functions as a first member provided with a cutting blade 2 for cutting the fruit handle 93. Further, in this case, the base member 10 and the non-moving member 20B function as a second member configured to be relatively movable with respect to the gripping member 41B of the gripping mechanism 40B. In the case of the present embodiment, the gripping member 41B, which is the first member, moves with respect to the base member 10B and the annular member 21B, which are the second members. Then, the gripping member 41B and the non-moving member 20B are formed in an annular shape including the cutting blade 2 to form a passing portion 3 through which the harvesting object 91 can be passed.
Also by this, the same action and effect as those of each of the above embodiments can be obtained.

(Other embodiments)
In each of the above embodiments, a part or all of the configurations can be extracted and combined.
For example, one or both of the rotating shaft side contact detecting unit 72 and the anti-rotating shaft side contact detecting unit 73 of the fourth embodiment is applied to the first to third embodiments, and the movement in the first to third embodiments is applied. It can be used together with the route generation process and the tilt angle setting process.

In this case, the first to third embodiments can be modified as follows, for example. That is, when the rotary shaft side contact detection unit 72 is applied to the first to third embodiments, the control device 60 moves the end effector 1 toward the target position Pg (Xg, Yg, Zg) by executing the movement process. However, if the rotation shaft side contact detection unit 72 detects contact with the main stem 92 or the like before the end effector 1 reaches the target position Pg (Xg, Yg, Zg), the movement of the end effector 1 ends. And move to tilt processing.

Further, when the anti-rotation shaft side contact detection unit 73 is applied to the first to third embodiments, the control device 60 tilts the end effector 1 so that the angle of the end effector 1 becomes the tilt angle θ set by the tilt angle setting process. However, if the counter-rotating shaft side contact detection unit 73 detects contact with the main stem 92 or the like before the end effector 1 reaches the tilt angle θ, the tilt process is terminated and the process proceeds to the cutting process. With such a configuration, the same effects as those of each of the above embodiments can be obtained.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to each of the above-described embodiments and described in the drawings, and can be arbitrarily modified, combined, or extended without departing from the gist thereof.
The numerical values and the like shown in each of the above embodiments are examples, and are not limited thereto.

Although the present disclosure has been described in accordance with the examples, it is understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the examples and structures. The present disclosure also includes various modifications and modifications within an equal range. In addition, various combinations and forms, as well as other combinations and forms that include only one element, more, or less, are also within the scope of the present disclosure.

1 ... End effector for harvesting agricultural products, 2 ... Cutting blade, 3 ... Passing part, 10 ... Base member (first member), 20 ... Moving member (second member), 20A ... Non-moving member (first member), 30 ... movement mechanism, 41 ... gripping member (first member), 41A ... gripping member (second member), 50 ... agricultural product harvesting system, 51 ... visual device, 52 ... robot arm, 602 ... storage area, 61 ... harvesting object Detection processing unit, 62 ... Position information identification processing unit, 63 ... Tilt angle setting processing unit, 65 ... Approach processing unit, 66 ... Movement processing unit, 67 ... Tilt processing unit, 68 ... Cutting processing unit, 72 ... Rotating shaft side contact Detection unit, 73 ... Anti-rotating shaft side contact detection unit, 91 ... Harvesting object, 92 ... Main stem, 93 ... Fruit handle, 602 ... Storage area, Ax ... Rotating shaft, Axr ... Roll rotating shaft (rotating shaft), Ax ... Pitch rotation axis (rotation axis), Ps ... Start point position, Pb ... Tip position, Pg ... Target position, Pt ... Base end position, Height position, Pe ... End point position,

Claims (10)

A crop harvesting system (50) equipped with an end effector (1) for harvesting crops by cutting a fruit stalk (93) with respect to a harvest target (91) that has set on a main stem (92) or a branch and harvesting the harvest target. ) And
The first member (10, 20A, 41) provided with the cutting blade (2) for cutting the peduncle, and
The second member (20, 41A) configured to be relatively movable with respect to the first member, and
A moving mechanism (30) for moving the second member relative to the first member is provided.
One or both of the first member and the second member is formed in an annular shape including the cutting blade, and a passing portion (3) through which the harvesting object can be passed is formed inside the annular shape. And
The moving mechanism moves the first member and the second member relatively while passing the peduncle inside the passing portion, and shrinks the passing portion to reduce the second member and the second member. The fruit handle is sandwiched between the cutting blade and cut.
The end effector for harvesting crops and
A robot arm (52) to which the end effector for harvesting crops is attached, and
A visual device (51) capable of acquiring visual information including the position information of the harvested object, and
A harvesting object detection processing unit (61) capable of executing a harvesting object detecting process for detecting a harvesting object included in the visual information acquired by the visual device, and a harvesting object detection processing unit (61).
A position information identification processing unit (62) capable of performing a position identification process for specifying a position including a tip position (Pb) and a base end position (Pt) of the harvest object detected in the harvest object detection process.
An approach processing unit (65) capable of performing an approach process of driving and controlling the robot arm to bring the crop harvesting end effector closer to a starting point position (Ps) set outside the tip position of the harvesting object. )When,
A movement that can execute a movement process in which the robot arm is driven and controlled to move the crop harvesting end effector from the outside of the tip position toward the base end position side and pass the harvesting object through the passing portion. Processing unit (66) and
A tilting processing unit capable of performing a tilting process that tilts the end effector for crop harvesting along the main stem or branch so that the passing portion passes the harvesting object to the outside of the base end position. 67) and
A cutting processing unit (68) capable of performing a cutting process for cutting the peduncle passed through the inside of the passing portion by operating the crop harvesting end effector to reduce the passing portion.
A crop harvesting system equipped with. Further, a tilt angle setting processing unit (63) capable of executing a tilt angle setting process for setting a tilt angle for tilting the crop harvesting end effector along the main stem or branch is further provided.
The tilt angle setting process includes a process of setting the tilt angle to a preset constant value.
The tilt processing unit executes the tilt process based on the tilt angle set in the tilt angle setting process.
The crop harvesting system according to claim 1. Further, a tilt angle setting processing unit (63) capable of executing a tilt angle setting process for setting a tilt angle for tilting the crop harvesting end effector along the main stem or branch is further provided.
The tilt angle setting process includes a process of setting the tilt angle based on the visual information acquired by the visual device.
The tilt processing unit executes the tilt process based on the tilt angle set in the tilt angle setting process.
The crop harvesting system according to claim 1. A storage area (602) for storing a data table showing a height position of the harvested object and the tilt angle at the height position is further provided.
In the tilt angle setting process, the height position (Pt) of the harvest target is specified from the visual information acquired by the visual device, and the tilt angle is determined based on the data table of the specified harvest target. Includes processing to set the angle corresponding to the height position of the object,
The crop harvesting system according to claim 3. In the tilt angle setting process, the shape of the main stem or branch is extracted from the visual information acquired by the visual device, and pattern matching processing or fitting processing is performed on the extracted shape of the main stem or branch. Including the process of setting the tilt angle in
The crop harvesting system according to claim 3. A counter-rotating shaft side contact detection unit (73) capable of detecting contact of an object with a portion of the crop harvesting end effector opposite to the rotating shaft side in the tilting process is further provided.
The tilting processing unit ends the tilting process when the counter-rotating shaft side contact detecting unit detects the contact of an object while the tilting process is executed and the end effector for crop harvesting is tilted. To do,
The crop harvesting system according to claim 1. In the moving process, the end effector for harvesting crops is tilted at the tilt angle to reach a target position (Pg) set at a position where the passing portion passes outside the base end position of the harvesting object. Including the process of moving end effectors for crop harvesting
The tilting process executes the tilting process when the crop harvesting end effector reaches the target position.
The crop harvesting system according to any one of claims 1 to 5. Further provided with a rotation shaft side contact detection unit (72) capable of detecting contact of an object with the rotation axis side portion of the crop harvesting end effector in the tilting process.
The moving process includes a process of moving the crop harvesting end effector toward an end point position (Pe) set outside the base end position of the harvesting object.
The tilt processing unit performs the tilt processing when the contact detection unit on the rotating shaft side detects the contact of an object while the end effector for crop harvesting is being moved toward the end point position by the movement process. Start,
The crop harvesting system according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The rotation axis of the crop harvesting end effector in the tilting process is set to a fixed position in the crop harvesting end effector.
The approaching process includes a process of adjusting the axial direction of the rotation axis so as to intersect the peduncle extending from the main stem and approaching the crop harvesting end effector to the starting point position.
The crop harvesting system according to any one of claims 1 to 8. In the tilting process, the portion of the end effector for harvesting crops that is closest to the main stem or branch is set as a rotation axis (Axr, App) so that the opposite side of the rotation axis approaches the main stem or branch. Including tilting process
The approaching process includes a process of bringing the crop harvesting end effector closer to the starting point position at a constant angle with respect to the harvesting object regardless of the positional relationship of the harvesting object with respect to the main stem or branch.
The crop harvesting system according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

Images